And Thaddeus did so. As yet he has received no reply.
UNEXPECTED POMP AT THE PERKINS’S
“My dear,” said Thaddeus, one night, as he and Mrs. Perkins entered the library after dinner, “that was a very good dinner to-night. Don’t you think so?”
“All except the salmon,” said Bessie, with a smile.
“Salmon?” echoed Thaddeus. “Salmon? I did not see any salmon.”
“No,” said Bessie, “that was just the trouble. It didn’t come up, although it was in the house before dinner, I’m certain. I saw it arrive.”
“Ellen couldn’t have known you intended it for dinner,” said Thaddeus.
“Yes, she knew it was for dinner,” returned Bessie, “but she made a mistake as to whose dinner it was for. She supposed it was bought for the kitchen-table, and when I went down-stairs to inquire about it a few minutes ago it was fulfilling its assumed mission nobly. There wasn’t much left but the tail and one fin.”
“Well!” ejaculated Thaddeus, “I call that a pretty cool proceeding. Did you give her a talking to?”
“No,” Bessie replied, shortly; “I despise a domestic fuss, so I pretended I’d gone down to talk about breakfast. We’ll have breakfast an hour or two earlier to-morrow, dear.”