into our room, where we refreshed ourselves by brushing off the
dust and bathing. How spick and span clean was everything in that
room, even to the dirt floor!

Before we had completed our ablutions, the good woman of the house
called Maddox out and asked what she could cook for me. She
thought I could not eat Brazilian dishes. He told her, to her
great relief, that I could eat anything he could. Quite right he
was, too, for we had been traveling all the morning on the
sustenance furnished by a cup of coffee which we had taken at the
Rio station a little before six o'clock. We were in possession of
an appetite by this time that would have raised very few questions
about any article of food.

Soon we were seated at the breakfast table, which was placed in
the church room with benches around it for seats. I was honored by
being placed at one end of the table. What a meal it was! Not only
had Mrs. Manoela taxed her own larder, but the other members, who
by this time had arrived in large numbers, had brought in many
good things. I cannot tell what the dishes were, for the reason
that I do not know. It is sufficient to say that every one was
good--perhaps our appetite helped out our appreciation of some of
them. There were as many as eight dishes the like of which I had
never tasted before. How do you suppose I managed it when they
served some delicious cane molasses, and, instead of bread to go
with it, they served cream cheese? I asked Maddox how I should
work this combination. He replied by cutting up his cheese into
his plate of molasses and eating the mixture. I did the same
thing, and I bear testimony that it was fine. By the time the
breakfast was concluded, I had scored a point with our good