"I want you to come to--" she cried.

"Well, I believe I will," her friend answered cordially. "I believe
I'd really enjoy to pervided you ain't got nothin' with dried currants
in it. They say the heathen Chinese eat flies for currants, but I
never was no heathen Chinese."

"I ain't got--" Mrs. Lathrop assured her.

"Then I'll come 's soon 's I c'n get my bonnet off," Susan answered,
and proceeded to unlock her own domain and enter into the sacred
precincts thereof.

Ten minutes later the friends sat on opposite sides of Mrs. Lathrop's
hospitality.

"I s'pose 't a good deal--" began the older woman, as she poured out
the tea.

"More'n any other day," said the younger; "it almost seems 's 'f more
's happened than I c'n remember to tell over again. I see Mrs. Macy,
'n' it was lucky 't I went to see her, f'r she was _the_ one 's knowed
everythin' _this_ day, f'r sure. The first thing she told me was 't
the minister 's got his ear-muffs right along with him. She says the
ear-muffs is the only thing 't she didn't find, f'r she's willin' to
swear 's she opened more 'n a hunderd bundles. She said she was clean
wore out towards the last, 'n' discouraged too, 'n' she thought she'd
go over to Mrs. Duruy's 'n' ask Felicia Hemans if she know'd anythin';
so she did, 'n' when she got there the house was all shut up, 'n' a
piece o' paper stuck in the front door between the knob 'n' the wall,