CHAPTER V
SWEEPING THE DRAWING-ROOM
THE day after the drive to Lantig, Mrs. Carlyon was having a large “At Home” in the afternoon—large, that is, for Trelint—and all the household was very busy. There were cakes to make, and biscuits, and tea-cakes, and sandwiches, and ices, and all kinds of good things, for there were not many shops in the town; besides which, it was considered a point of honour to make most of the things at home.
Ellen always grew very cross at these times, but she cooked her best, for every one in Trelint knew who Dr. Carlyon’s cook was; just as every one knew how many servants every one else had, and who they were. Nurse, too, was not as patient as usual, she had so many things on her mind, for where there are only two maids to help, a big party makes every one very busy, and the children had to amuse themselves as best they could—at least, Priscilla and Loveday had to; Geoffrey had gone to spend the day in the country with some friends, glad enough to escape “such silly things as At Homes,” he said. Priscilla and Loveday almost wished that they had been invited too, for the day seemed very long and dull without mother, or Geoffrey, or Nurse. They were told, too, to keep in the nursery and play, for they would be in the way anywhere else, but to be told to amuse oneself makes it a very difficult thing to do; everything seems, at once, to be not the very least bit amusing.
The dining-room was to be arranged for the guests to go to, to partake of tea and coffee when they arrived; and the drawing-room was, of course, to be decorated with flowers, and arranged a little differently. Priscilla and Loveday were not wanted anywhere, and they could not play in the garden, for there had been heavy rain during the night.
“Oh dear!” sighed Priscilla, “there is nothing, nothing that I feel I want to do, and there is more than an hour before we can see the guests coming.”
Loveday glanced at the clock, too. “So there is,” she sighed; “it isn’t free yet.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Priscilla crossly; “you know you can’t tell the time, so why pretend?”
“You said so, too,” protested Loveday; “and I know the people are going to begin to come at four, ’cause mother said so, and if it is more than an hour before they come, that shows that it isn’t free yet by the clock.”