The child eyed
her host in silence.
"Talk away," said the lady. "Don't be afraid."
"Tell me," then said the child, "how many children have you got?"
Astonished at the question, the lady hesitated for a moment, and then
entered into the fun of the situation.
"Ten," she replied.
"Dear me," answered the child, "that is a very large family, I hope
you are careful and look after them. Do you keep them all clean?"
"Well, I do my best."
"And is your husband at work?"
"My husband does not do any kind of work. He never has."
"That is very dreadful," replied the little girl earnestly, "but I
hope you keep out of debt."
The game had gone too far for Lady Bountiful's enjoyment of it.
"You are a very rude and impertinent child," she burst out, "to speak
like that, and to me."
The child became apologetic. "I'm sure I didn't mean to be, ma'am,"
she explained. "But mother told me before I came that I was to be
sure to speak to you like a lady, and when any ladies call on us, they
always ask us those questions."
A gentleman who had married his cook was giving a dinner party and
between the courses the good lady sat with her hands spread on the
tablecloth.
Suddenly the burr of conversation ceased and in the silence that
followed a young man on the right of his hostess said, pleasantly:
"Awful pause!"
"Yes, they may be," said the old-time cook, with heightened color;
"and yours would be like them if you had done half my work.
Pages:
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236