“Yes; but I’m sadly afraid people will think they have cost much more than is usually spent at these meetings; but I know they have not. Mrs. Framley had sponge cake only, yet the eggs alone for the five loaves she made would cost more than these cakes.”
“Well, it can’t be helped,” said Mrs. Welles.
“No,” laughed Molly; “I meant only to have the iced jelly cakes, and though Genoese is so delicious I don’t know that that difference will be understood, but your bringing the almond paste tempted me into the macaroons, and then to make use of the yolks; of course they led to the jumbles.”
“Yes, but they would pass; it is the ‘Frenchy’ look of the iced cakes that will seem costly, but you can tell your friends what the cost really is.”
“I know, only I hate to seem to lay myself out; yet when things can be made so pretty one can’t resist doing it.”
“You can’t, because you love the work as others love Kensington stitch and can’t resist adding to the beauty of their surroundings in that way. You and I resist that temptation very well, but this makes one understand it. All work is pleasure if you love it and know how to do it.”
“Now I’ll see the dinner on and we’ll adjourn and leave Marta in possession,” said Molly.
Molly looked at the bouillon, which had been simmering four hours; and Marta asked if she should put in the vegetables.
“No; this is to be extra strong, in fact consommé,—which means bouillon very much reduced,—so this can simmer two hours more; then strain the meat from it, and to-morrow you can take off all fat; and then put to it two carrots cut up small, two turnips, two onions, and let them boil in it two hours; this will reduce it enough; then it can be strained and cleared.”
Molly had arranged to have for dinner just such things as Marta could cook, but the substantial part of it was to be Irish stew, that good old savory dish. Excellent as it is when well made, there is nothing more “poverty seeming” than the same thing carelessly done; therefore she meant to see it all on to cook before leaving the kitchen.