“A love-secret, I should not wonder!” said Mrs. Smith.
Before Mrs. Carter could answer that, Kate Gorman put her head into the room.
“Dinner’s ready, and Mr. Smith not home yet.”
Mrs. Smith arose blushing and embarrassed.
“Only ham and eggs,” she said; “but would you, just for the sake of old times——”
“Would I?” cried Mrs. Carter, huddling the baby into it’s cradle, and taking off her gloves.
“Won’t I?”
CHAPTER XX.
OVER THEIR TEA.
Kate Gorman had received a hint from her mistress and drawn the table out from against the wall, a trouble she seldom undertook merely for the household. She also spread a clean damask table-cloth over it, and gave her knives an extra scour before she put them on the table. Then she took particular pains with the ham, and left a fried egg upon the top of each slice, with the unbroken yolk gleaming like a ball of gold in the centre of the white, which was beautifully browned on the edges.
To these dainties she added a glass dish full of quince preserves, and some nice green pickles, that contrasted gorgeously with the gold of the egg and the red of the ham, when they got on the same plate together.