a poor man's pudding, with raisins, for
dessert; that will do nicely.' So the fat cook put the fat goose
carefully away in the refrigerator; then she shelled enough peas for a
small dish, and peeled about a dozen potatoes, and prepared the raisins
for the pudding, and had them all nicely done in time.

"When five o'clock came, the bell rang for dinner, and Edith's mother
went down, and took her seat at the table.

"Just then she heard a whole chorus of merry little voices, and to her
great surprise, in marched Edith, and seven little girls after her! They
were all nearly of the same size, with their hair braided in two tails
apiece, as fine as you please.

"'Why, Edith!!' exclaimed her mother.

"'Yes, mamma,' said Edith, 'I told them to come in and get some dinner,
and some nice poor man's pudding, with raisins in it; they are Annie's
and Mary's cousins. They are real nice, and we are having such fun!'

"You see Edith had no idea that her mother would not like her bringing
the little girls in to dine with her; she did not _mean_ to do wrong;
and her eyes glittered so brightly with pleasure at having so many
friends, that her mamma burst out laughing; and then Edith and all the
children giggled in such a funny way, that I do believe if the Mayor of
New York could have seen their happy faces, he would have given his best
wig, to have such pleasant people at _his_ dinner parties.

"And now the children began to stare at the beef-steak with hungry eyes;
and Edith's mother thought it grew smaller and smaller, and was afraid
if she gave each one a piece, they would swallow the whole of it at once
like a pill. Dear me! how she did wish the goose had been cooked; but
there was no help for it now: so seven extra plates were set, like
buttons round the table, and seven extra knives and forks were laid
across like button holes, and seven extra _goblins_ (as little Edith
called the 'goblets') stared down at the plates, and seven extra chairs
were rattled up and scratched up to the table, by the children
themselves, because the waiting-maid was almost crazy with so much
company; and down they sat in a prodigious hurry, and the dinner began.

"Such a famous dinner as it was! Perfectly delicious. If there had only
been a little more of it. But never mind, the knives and forks rattled
merrily, and the children laughed, and the two long braids of hair on
each head flew right and left so fast, that the flies couldn't get near
the