"Hold up her hands in holy horror; and of course it's a dreadful thing. I haven't the least doubt but what mamma thought it was cider."
"Whom are you going to invite?" asked Sarah.
"Only three besides ourselves; that will be six--a good number. Whom shall I ask, Flo?"
"Well, you know it doesn't make much difference to me. I'll ask Grace, of course; she helped get the box up here."
"And Georgie Graham," dryly suggested Sarah.
"I rather think not," replied Marion. "Grace Minton, Julia Thayer, and who shall be the third? Come, say some one, Flo."
"I wish you'd ask Rachel Drayton," said Florence, in the tone of one pleading for a great favor.
"I don't believe she'd come if I asked her."
"Well, you might try it," said Sarah; "she can't do anything more than refuse."
"She won't refuse if Marion asks her cordially."
"Well, Flo, I'll do it, considering you've been laid up in the cause."
And Marion ran out of the room, and downstairs, to hunt up the three girls, and let them know, in as quiet a way as possible, that she wanted them up in her room in about fifteen minutes. In her inmost heart she had wanted to ask Rachel Drayton, but did not like to mention her herself, and she gave the invitation with so much warmth, despite the necessity of a mysterious whisper, that Rachel accepted at once with a nod, and a bright smile, such as Marion had never before called up on that usually serious face.
When Marion got back to her room, Sarah had arranged the various articles on the table in something like order, although the variety and quantity prevented them from making a very elegant appearance.
"There! how does that look?" she asked as Marion made her appearance.
"Well, I must say it does not exactly suit me; there's too much on the table. We couldn't eat it half to-night, if we try; so what's the use of such a spread? That turkey I'm going to present to Miss Stiefbach; so that can go into the empty box. Flo, I'm going to appropriate your fancy basket for the nuts and raisins; it will give a distingué air to the table, you know. Now what shall we do for plates?"
"Oh, never mind about plates," said Florence; "you can carve the ducks, and put a bit of jelly on each piece, and we can eat with our fingers; you mustn't be so particular."