BOB had scarcely left the house the next morning when Bettina was called to the door. "I couldn't resist coming!" said Alice. "The announcement party was lovely, and I must thank you for doing it. Aren't you tired to pieces?"
"No, Ruth helped me a great deal, and by the time Bob came home to dinner, the luncheon dishes were washed and put away and the house was in apple-pie order."
"Everything tasted delicious, Bettina. Maybe it sounds altogether too practical for my own announcement party, but I'm armed with a pencil and a notebook, and I do want to get some of those recipes of yours!"
"You're welcome to them all, Alice, of course. They are all recipes that I have used over and over again, and I'm sure of them."
"What kind of soup was it? Celery? I thought so. Wasn't it hard to prepare?"
"Why, Alice, it was canned celery soup, diluted with hot milk. Then I added a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and a teaspoonful of chopped red pepper."
"But surely it had whipped cream in it, Bettina!"
"Yes, I put a teaspoonful of whipped cream in the bottom of the bouillon cup and poured the hot soup on it, so that it would be well mixed."
"Well, that accounts for it; I thought it must be made with whipped cream. Oh, Bettina, everything was so pretty! The tulle bows on the baskets holding the wafers and the rolls—and the butterflies perched on them! How did you ever think of it?"
"Well, butterflies are a happy choice for decorations! They can be put anywhere, and they are easy to make—at least Ruth says so."