“Yes, mum, and how aboot breakfast for yez, mum?”
“Oh, I forgot my breakfast! Of course I must eat some breakfast. I’ll come down to it.”
“Oh, no, mum! And let me be after bringing it oop to yez, mum,” insisted the wily Katy, who was anxious for the youthful house cleaners to accomplish their dark and secret mission without interruption. Not only was it great fun, a huge joke, in fact, for her to be paid fifty cents to let others do her work, but it meant that since others were doing it, she would not have to, and she could have just that much more time for “scroobing” and resting. A tray was accordingly got ready and Molly found she had a little more appetite than the morning before; also, that Katy’s food was really a little better.
“Your coffee is better this morning, Katy,” she said, believing that praise for feats accomplished but egged on the servitor to other and greater effort.
“Yes, mum, so the master said.”
“Poor Edwin,” thought Molly, “how I have neglected him. I must do better. But if I don’t wake up, I don’t wake up. If I could only get a little nap in the day time. Mother always wanted me to take one, but how can I? The living room must be cleaned to-day.” She felt weary at the thought. Accustomed as she was to being out of doors a great deal, she really needed the fresh air.
“As soon as luncheon is over, we must get busy with the cleaning. I wish we might have done it in the forenoon, but I am afraid it is too late.”
“Yes, mum, it’s too late!” and Katy indulged in such a hearty giggle that her mistress began to think perhaps she was feeble-minded as well as inefficient.
“Is the table in the dining room cleared off, Katy, so you can set it for luncheon?”
“No, mum, it is not!”