"A man that used to go about from house to house," said Fleda, laughing, "when the cottagers were making soup, with a ham- bone to give it a relish, and he used to charge them so much for a dip, and so much for a wallop."
"Come, come, I can do as much for you as that," said aunt Miriam, proceeding to her store pantry "see here wouldn't this be as good as a ham-bone?" said she, bringing out of it a fat fowl; "how would a wallop of this do?"
"Admirably! only the ham-bone used to come out again, and
I am confident this never would."
"Well, I guess I'll stand that," said aunt Miriam, smiling "you wouldn't mind carrying this under your cloak, would you?"
"I have no doubt I shall go home lighter with it than without it, Ma'am, thank you, dear aunty! dear aunt Miriam!"
There was a change of tone, and of eye, as Fleda sealed each thank with a kiss.
"But how is it? does all the charge of the house come upon you, dear?"
"Oh, this kind of thing, because aunt Lucy doesn't understand it, and can't get along with it so well. She likes better to sew, and I had quite as lief do this."
"And don't you sew, too?"
"Oh, a little. She does as much as she can," said Fleda, gravely.