The tête-à-tête dinner was greatly enjoyed by these gossips. They lingered over it as long as it was possible to do so.
“Talkin’ o’ walentines,” said Miss Sibby, apropos of nothing, “when I was young there wa’n’t no walentines made to sell. They was only made by ladies with fine taste for the work. They were cut out of fine paper, heart-shaped when folded, and scalloped circle when open, and finified off with ‘lilies and roses and other fine posies,’ and with written verses. Ah! I have known old Mrs. Grandiere—Miss Susannah’s mother—spend days and days cutting out and decorating walentines for the young people to send to their sweethearts. And they was all complimentary, and never impident. No sich thing as buying of a walentine ever heard of. And now they’ve got ’em in every shop window. But times changes, sez I, and them as lives the longest, sez I, sees the most, sez I.”
“I don’t think as your valentine or mine came out of the shops, Miss Sibby. I never seen any like them in shops. I think they was handmade by some young vilyun or other.”
“That is so. And the same scamp as made yourn, sez I, likewise made mine, sez I. And now as we’ve got done our dinner, hadn’t we might as well go and see them new-fashioned rugs and things in the box? If you have got anything to do, sez I, why, go and do it at once, sez I. Ain’t that so?”
“Yes, and we will go and open the box. Jake, bring a chisel and a clawhammer here, and life that big box out o’ the hall into the little parlor,” said the widow, calling to the one manservant, and then leading the way back to the sitting room.
Jake soon appeared with the box—a heavy deal case, four feet square—on his shoulder, and carefully lowered it to the floor.
“Now rip off the lid,” said the widow.
Jake, with considerable labor, opened the box.
“And now we shall see them new-fashioned rugs. And if I like ’em, I’ll send to Baltimore by Mark Truman’s schooner, and buy one to lay before my fireplace, soon’s ever I get paid for that last hogshead of tobacco,” said Miss Sibby, as the lid of the box flew up under Jake’s vigorous applications of the clawhammer.
The two women stooped over the open case.