A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE 161 



chuckled to herself and tried several perfectly transpar- 

 ent ways of attracting my attention, until I took pity 

 on her, a very one-sided pity too, for, between ourselves, 

 Anastasia is the domestic salt and pepper that gives the 

 Garden Vacation a flavour that I should sadly miss. 



"Miss Marie," she exclaimed, "do be the tastiest 

 creaytur ever I set me eyes on." (She refused absolutely 

 to call her Maria ; that name, she holds, is only fit for a 

 settled old maid, "and that same it's not sure and fair 

 to mark any woman wid being this side the grave." ) 



Then I knew that I only had to sit down and raise 

 my eyes to Anastasia's face in an attitude of attention, 

 to open the word gates, and this I did. 



"Well, fust off win she got the invite ter sing at 

 the swarry that tops off the day's doings down to 

 that Golf Club, she was that worried about hats you 

 never seen the like ! She wus over ter Bridgeton, and 

 Barney swore he drove her ter every milliner in the 

 place, and says she ter me, pleasant like, that evenin', 

 when returned, in excuse fer havin' nothin' to show, 

 'Oh, Annie, Annie, it would break yer heart to see the 

 little whisp of flowers they ask five dollars for; to fix me 

 hats a trifle would part me from a tin-dollar bill!'" 



(The sentiments I at once perceived might be Maria's, 

 but their translation Anastasia's.) 



