Dr. Moonshine laughed. Mother Hubbard had never dreamed a boarder could be so disagreeable. She snatched off the spice-box, and setting a kettle on the stove, boiled paste enough to paper the walls of a room.
Meanwhile Fly was making free with the nutmegs and soda, and the little cook could not remember how far along she had got with the cake.
"Children don't annoy you, I hope," said the doctor, seating the baby at the side of the table, opposite Mother Hubbard, and giving her a stick with a rag wound around the end of it, in order to paste pictures into a scrap-book.
"Thank you, doctor. I never did like children half as well as dogs," replied Mother Hubbard, forcing a smile. Then she tasted her cake slyly, to make sure whether she had put the butter in or not.
"Madam Hubbard, mim," said Lady Magnifico, "may I trouble you for a glass of water?"
"Mamma Hubbard, may I have a hangfiss to wipe off the pastry?"
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard, and got a goblet for the lady; to the closet, and found a rag for the baby.
By that time she smelt something burning; it was eggs. She had left the patent egg-beater on the stove by accident, and its contents were as black as a shoe.
"O, what a frightful, alarming odor!" cried Lady Magnifico. "If somebody doesn't throw up a window! Madam, do tell us what's afire now!"
"Mother Hubbard's got a dumb chill," said the doctor; "she won't speak."
But Prudy was saying under breath, "Please, God, let me keep pleasant. They don't mean any harm, and I _should_ be ashamed to get angry just about a play."
"What ails you, Mother Hubbard? 'You look as blue as the skimmiest kind of skim-milk.'"
"Do I? Well, no wonder, with such troublesome boarders. Suppose you and my lady go down to the parlor. I don't believe I'm a bit interesting, you know. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
"There," said Mother Hubbard, taking off her spectacles; "now I can cook."
"Little folks we is to keep house--isn't we?" buzzed the little torment that was left behind. "Hush! don't you talk, Prudy. When you shake the table, then I make blots with my pastry."
Prudy said nothing, but thoughtfully tasted the cake again. How could she tell whether she had left out the soda?
"Are you _blind of your ears_, Prudy, Can't you hear nuffin what I say? Rag's come off the stick. Please to tie it on. And _I_ want to eat some o' that dough."