before; it looked really elegant as she set it on the table in a
cut-glass dish. Then there were,--oh, moment of suspense! would she
find any left?--yes; there _were_ enough sweet crisp seed-cakes to fill
a plate.

The table was set--the tea with its fine aroma, and the coffee,
amber-clear, were made. The cream was on, so was the sugar-bowl, and
Aunt Ann was just going to summon her guests, when she happened to
think to lift the sugar-bowl cover and peep in. Sure enough, there
wasn't a lump there!

"I must run and fill it!" exclaimed Aunt Ann, lifting it in a hurry,
and starting; but she had to stop to think in what direction to go.

"Where was it I put that sugar?" she asked herself.

In the camphor chest? No. In the potatoes? No; she remembered thinking
they were not clean enough. Was it anywhere up garret? If she went
there and looked around, maybe it would come into her mind. She did go
there, sugar-bowl in hand, and she did look around, but all in
vain--she could not think where she had put that two dollars' worth of
sugar!

And time was flying, the sun was setting--pretty soon the moon would be
up. How hungry the company must be, and they must wonder why supper
wasn't ready. It would never do to sit down to the table with an empty
sugar-bowl, for Aunt Wright always wanted her tea extra sweet, and
Uncle Wright never could drink coffee without his eight lumps in the
cup. Dear, dear! Aunt Ann was all in a flurry. _Why_ had she ever
undertaken to hide that sugar!