eans she found of reviving the flagging discourse was by
asking them if they would all stay to tea; and a cruel struggle it cost
her to perform this piece of civility. Mrs. Sykes had begun, "We are
much obliged to you, but----" when in came Fanny once more.

"The gentlemen will stay the evening, ma'am," was the message she
brought from Mr. Helstone.

"What gentlemen have you?" now inquired Mrs. Sykes. Their names were
specified; she and her daughters interchanged glances. The curates were
not to them what they were to Caroline. Mr. Sweeting was quite a
favourite with them; even Mr. Malone rather so, because he was a
clergyman. "Really, since you have company already, I think we will
stay," remarked Mrs. Sykes. "We shall be quite a pleasant little party.
I always like to meet the clergy."

And now Caroline had to usher them upstairs, to help them to unshawl,
smooth their hair, and make themselves smart; to reconduct them to the
drawing-room, to distribute amongst them books of engravings, or odd
things purchased from the Jew-basket. She was obliged to be a purchaser,
though she was but a slack contributor; and if she had possessed plenty
of money, she would rather, when it was brought to the rectory--an awful
incubus!--have purchased the whole stock than contributed a single
pin-cushion.

It ought perhaps to be explained in passing, for the benefit of those
who are not _au fait_ to the mysteries of the "Jew-basket" and
"missionary-basket," that these _meubles_ are willow repositories, of
the capacity of a good-sized family clothes-basket, dedicated to the
purpose of conveying from house to house a monster collection of
pin-cushions, needle-books, card-racks, workbags, articles of infant
wear, etc., etc., etc., made by the willing or reluctant hands of the
Christian ladies of a parish, and sold perforce to the heathenish
gentlemen thereof, at prices unblushingly exorbitant. The proceeds of
such compulsory sales are applied to the conversion of the Jews, the
seeking up of the ten missing tribes, or to the regeneration of the
interesting coloured population of the globe. Each lady contributor
takes it in her turn to keep the basket a month, to sew for it, and to
foist off its contents on a shrinking male public. An exciting time it
is when that turn comes round. Some active-minded woman, with a good
trading spirit, like it, and enjoy exceedingly the fun of making
hard-handed worsted-spinners cash up, to the tune of four