The first day of Polly’s housekeeping was long remembered in the household. In the first place, the breakfast, though fairly abundant, was plain. A large piece of cold bacon graced one end of the board, a brown loaf stood on a trencher in the center, and when Helen took her place opposite the tea-tray she found herself provided with plenty of milk and sugar, certainly, and a large tea-pot of strong tea, but the sugar was brown. No butter, no marmalade, no jams, no hot cakes, graced the board. The children spoke of the fare as severe, and the Doctor’s dark brown eyes twinkled as he helped his family to abundant slices of cold bacon.
“Not a word,” he said, in a loud aside to his boys and girls. “I did not think it was in Polly to be so sensible. Why, we shall get through indigestion week quite comfortably, if she provides us with plain, wholesome fare like this.”
Polly took her own place at the table rather late. Her cheeks were still peonyed, as Maggie expressed it, her eyes were downcast, her spirits were decidedly low, and she had a very small appetite.
After breakfast she beat a hasty retreat, and presently the boys rushed in in great excitement, to announce to Helen and Katie the interesting fact that Polly was walking across the fields accompanied by Maggie, each of them laden with a large market-basket.
“They are almost running, both of them,” exclaimed Bunny, “and pretty Poll is awful cross, for when we wanted to go with her she just turned round and said we’d have a worse dinner than breakfast if we didn’t leave her alone.”
“We ran away quickly enough after that,” continued Bob, “for we didn’t want no more cold-bacon and no-butter meals. We had a nasty breakfast to-day, hadn’t we, Nell? And Poll is a bad housekeeper, isn’t she?”
“Oh, leave her alone, do,” said Helen. “She is trying her very best. Run out and play, boys, and don’t worry about the meals.”
The two boys, known in the family as “the scamps,” quickly took their departure, and Katie began to talk in her most grown-up manner to Helen. Katie was a demure little damsel, she was fond of using long words, and thought no one in the world like Helen, whom she copied in all particulars.
“Poll is too ambitious, and she’s sure to fail,” she began. But Helen shut her up.
“If Polly does fail, you’ll be dreadfully sorry, I’m sure, Katie,” she said. “I know I shall be sorry. It will make me quite unhappy, for I never saw any one take more pains about a thing than Polly has taken over her housekeeping. Yes, it will be very sad if Polly fails; but I don’t think she will, for she is really a most clever girl. Now, Katie, will you read your English History lesson aloud?”