“Thank you,” replied Mrs. Cupp, with real gratitude.
“Come, girls,” said the bustling Laura. “The chocolate’s all hot. Don’t let it spoil. And the sandwiches and salad must be eaten to be saved. Pull up your chairs. Won’t you try this lovely salad, Mrs. Cupp? And these chicken sandwiches are delicious.”
Mrs. Cupp was fairly caught. She had partaken of the hospitality of the forbidden feast. Having accepted the chocolate she made but weak protest against the heartier viands. A delightfully arranged plateful appeared like magic before her and she found a fork in her hand.
Bess was almost bursting with suppressed laughter, and even Nan had difficulty in keeping a straight face. Laura Polk had certainly stepped into the breach. “She deserves a leather medal,” whispered May Winslow.
“I’ll give her one of my clocks,” promised Amelia.
The girls gathered quietly about the long table and the food began to disappear. Perhaps they were not quite as hilarious as they expected to be at the feast; but Mrs. Cupp’s presence did not make the viands any the less delicious to the palate. And all of the girls were anxious to hear the tale of the matron’s fright.
“What could it have been you saw?” May asked.
“I—I don’t know. Something black,” was the sober reply.
“O-o-o!” from Grace and Lillie. “All black?”
“Did it look like a black dog?” asked Nan, the practical.