“Now, Grad, you can take it up,” she called to her grandfather. “I’ll have your breakfast ready by the time you get back. How do you like your egg, hard or soft?”
“Three minutes,” replied Dr. Selden, taking the tray from her hands.
“Then don’t stay any longer than that, for I am going to put it in right away. Everything else is ready. And please don’t on any account tell Gradda the cook isn’t here.”
The doctor went off and Joanne scurried around to have everything on the table by the time he returned. “Dear me,” she said to herself, “I shouldn’t have put the eggs in till we have had our fruit. I know what I can do, I’ll coddle them; they’ll be nicer anyhow, and it won’t hurt them to stand in the hot water. I’ll keep the toast in the oven and open the door.”
She was at her place at table by the time her grandfather returned. “I hope you don’t mind eating with the cook,” she said as she sat down.
“Why should I?” the doctor returned. “I am the butler.”
Joanne laughed and answered, “I’ll have to call you James then, and you can call me Cook. What did Gradda say?”
“I didn’t give her a chance to say much. I told her that Hester hadn’t come yet, and that I thought she might get faint so I had brought up her breakfast myself. She looked at the flowers and asked who put them there. I told her you had arranged the tray, and then I skipped out before she had time to ask any more questions.”
“You were a very tactful butler. Bring out your plate, James, and help me to take in breakfast.”
The doctor arose with alacrity to bring in the coffee while Joanne followed with the eggs and toast. She felt quite important to be sitting at the head of the table serving the coffee. Her grandfather took the cup she passed him and stirred it with a critical air, then he tasted it.