ss looked aghast a moment, then one girl said quickly, "That the
oven-door must be hot enough to hiss."

"Right. Try it and see."

It was in the proper condition. Mary slipped in the two trays of pans,
shutting up the door. "To look at them, and turn them around in twelve
minutes, and in twelve more to try them with a whisk," were the final
directions.

The potatoes were brought out next. Miss Morgan asked each girl to pare
one, which they did in various uncouth ways. One girl cut off the skin
in square bits, leaving a figure that would have distracted a
geometrician; another ran round it rapidly, leaving in all the eyes; and
out of the six potatoes there was but one neat and shapely. Miss Morgan
held it up.

"There is an art in so slight a thing as peeling a potato," said she.
"It is very wasteful to cut it away in this manner, or this, and
careless to leave in the eyes. Now each of you may pare another."

The second attempt was a great improvement. They were put on to boil;
one girl was detailed to watch them, another to prepare the steak, while
a third arranged the dinner-table in the kitchen, as the family was to
be so small. Mary looked after her corn-muffins. They had risen up like
little pound-cakes, and a glad smile illumined her rather stolid face.

Sylvie had brought a bit of tatting along, and now took it out.

"Oh, how beautiful, Miss Barry!" exclaimed Kitty Miles. "I can do just
the plain little scallop; but I never could get these other jiggers!"

Sylvie laughed, "I believe they have a name beside 'jiggers,'" in an
odd, half-inquiring tone.

"O Miss Barry, we girls can't talk nice like you!" and Kitty blushed.

"I don't see why you cannot with taking a little pains. All words that
are not names, and 'what-you-may-call-it,' and 'Mrs. Thingumby,' and
such expressions, are the result of carelessness. If any thing has a
name, that is the proper word to be used; and by being watchful one
comes presently to talk in a lady-like manner. Now I will show you about
these."

"Oh, my muffins!" cried Mary, rushing to the stove. They were quite
brown. She tried them with the whisk.

"Some stick a little bit, Miss Morgan."

"Push the pan back to the other side. Indian requires very thorough
cooking or baking, or it will be soggy, and have a moist and not
agreeable taste. Try your potatoes now."

In a few moments they were done, and Kitty Miles undertook the steak.
Mary let her muffins stand a moment or tw