"Oh, Elma is a good girl," said Mrs. Lewis. At that moment Maggie came into the room.
"Have you ordered your servant to prepare any lunch for me?" said Mrs.
Steward.
"Well, really—" Mrs. Lewis looked imploringly and with a vacant eye at
Maggie.
"There's the remains of the salt beef, mum," said that small worthy, dropping a bob of a courtesy as she spoke.
"I couldn't touch it," said Mrs. Steward with a shudder. "Have you got a fresh egg in the house?"
"Oh, my dear, nothing of the kind—a fresh egg! Fresh eggs are worth their weight in gold. We have a stale egg, if you don't mind that."
Mrs. Steward indulged in another shudder even more violent than the last.
"My good girl," she said then, "pray get me a cup of tea and some thin toast, and be quick about it. See that the tea is really strong and the cream fresh."
"Cream!" murmured Mrs. Lewis; but Maggie had withdrawn.
"Well, now, that is comfortably settled," said Mrs. Steward, "and I can tell you what really brought me to town—I have come about Elma."