Our Gentleman Boarder 



corner-cupboard the little household gods. 

 I was quite awe-stricken when I found 

 they were all to come out into use, for it 

 was not even Sunday or Christmas. There 

 were six silver teaspoons and sugar-nippers, 

 given to Mary on her christening day by 

 an old passenger of my Father's, a china 

 teapot, with two handles twisted prettily 

 together, a big muffineer, and a dish that 

 had been given my father by a poor 

 French gentleman whom he had helped in 

 some fashion or other, a beautiful thing 

 with festoons of tiny roses upon it, and 

 little true love-knots in blue, and, lastly, 

 the cups and saucers that we only used on 

 Sundays, these last being the darling 

 treasure of my Mother, for they had been 

 oriven her as the best needlewoman in the 

 village, on the occasion of her marriage, 

 by the great lady of the place. I remember 

 all those little treasures of ours, not only 

 because they were so few, but rather by 

 reason of their several pleasant histories. 

 John Miiller, Esther's sweetheart, had 

 brought her a gay posy, all of pinks and 

 mignonette and sweet william, that morn- 

 ine from his mother's gfarden, and when 

 Mary placed these in the centre of the 

 table it really looked as dainty as you 

 please. 



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