"O' course it must be clarified," said Earl "Barby knows about clarifyin' that's when you first put it on you had ought to throw in a teeny drop o' milk fur to clear it milk's as good as a'most anything or, if you can get it, calf's blood's better"
"Eggs would be a more preferable ingredient on the present occasion, I presume," said the doctor. "Miss Ringgan's delicacy would be a would shrink from a and the albumen of eggs will answer all the same purpose."
"Well, anyhow you like to fix it," said Earl, "eggs or calf's blood I wont quarrel with you about the eggs, though I never heerd o' blue ones afore, 'cept the robin's and bluebird's and I've heerd say the swamp blackbird lays a handsome blue egg, but I never happened to see the nest myself; and there's the chippin' sparrow; but you'd want to rob all the bird's nests in creation to get enough of 'em, and they aint here in sugar time, nother; but, anyhow, any eggs 'll do, I s'pose, if you can get 'em or milk 'll do, if you ha'n't nothin' else and after it is turned out into the barrel, you just let it stand still a spell, till it begins to grain and look clean on top"
"May I suggest an improvement?" said the doctor. "Many persons are of the opinion that if you take and stir it up well from the bottom for a length of time, it will help the coagulation of the particles. I believe that is the practice of Mr. Plumfield and others."
" 'Taint the practice of as good men as him, and as good sugar bilers besides," said Earl; "though I don't mean to say nothin' agin' Seth Plumfield nor agin' his sugar, for the both is as good as you'd need to have; he's a good man and he's a good farmer there aint no better man in town than Seth Plumfield, nor no better farmer, nor no better sugar nother; but I hope there's as good; and I've seen as handsome sugar that wa'n't stirred as I'd want to see or eat either."
"It would lame a man's arms the worst kind," said Philetus.
Fleda stood listening to the discussion and smiling, when
Hugh, suddenly wheeling about, brought her face to face with
Mr. Olmney.
"I have been sitting some time with Mrs. Rossitur," he said, "and she rewarded me with permission to come and look at you. I mean not that I wanted a reward, for I certainly did not "
"Ah, Mr. Olmney!" said Fleda, laughing, "you are served right.
You see how dangerous it is to meddle with such equivocal
things as compliments. But we are worth looking at, aren't we?
I have been standing here this half hour."
He did not say this time what he thought.