own good time, up would come her dinner in perfect order, and in a style of preparation with which an epicure could find no fault. 9 It was now the season of incipient 10 preparation for dinner. Dinah, who required large intervals of reflection and repose, and was studious of ease in all her arrangements, was seated on the kitchen floor, smoking a short, stumpy pipe, to which she was much addicted, and which she always kindled up, as a sort of censer, whenever she felt the need of an inspiration in her arrangements. It was Dinah's mode of invoking the domestic muses. 11 Seated around her were various members of that rising race with which the "southern household abounds, engaged in shelling peas, peeling potatoes, picking pin-feathers out of fowls, and other preparatory arrangements; Dinah every now and then interrupting her meditations to give a poke or a rap on the head to some of the young operators, with the pudding-stick that lay by her side. In fact, Dinah ruled over the woolly heads of the younger members with a rod of iron, and seemed to consider them born for no purpose but to "save her steps," as she phrased it. It was the spirit of the system under which she had grown up, and she carried it out to its full extent. Miss Ophelia, after passing on her reformatory tour 12 through all the other parts of the establishment, now entered the kitchen. Dinah had heard, from various sources, what was going on, and resolved to stand on defensive 13 and conservative ground mentally determined to oppose and ignore 14 every new measure, without any actual and observable contest. The kitchen was a large brick-floored apartment, with a great old-fashioned fireplace stretching along one side of it, an arrangement which St. Clair had vainly tried to persuade Dinah to exchange for the convenience of a modern stove. When St. Clair had first returned from the north, impressed with the system and order of his uncle's kitchen arrangements, he had largely provided his own with an array of cupboards, drawers, and various apparatus, to induce systematic regulation, under the sanguine illusion 15 that it would be of some possible assistance to Dinah in her arrangements. He might as well have provided them for a squirrel or a magpie. The more drawers and closets there were, the more hiding-holes could Dinah make for the accumulation of old rags, hair-combs, oll shoes, ribbons, cast-off artificial flowers, and other articles of vertu 16 wherein her soul delighted. How Dinah ever found a thing she wanted must ever remain a mystery! The poet summed up the common experience, of even orderly people, when he said : For 'tis a truth well known to most, 9 Epicure, one skilled in the deli- 10 Incipient, in the first stage. sion to the practice of poets in 13 On defensive, &c. She was bent 16 Articles of vertu, articles of an DINAH AND HER KITCHEN. [The grammatical errors in Dinah's share of the conversation will form a good exercise in grammar, if the pupils are set to correct them.] W PART II. HEN Miss Ophelia entered the kitchen, Dinah did not rise, but smoked on in sublime tranquillity, regarding her movements obliquely out of the corner of her eye, but apparently intent only on the cooking. operations around her. Miss Ophelia commenced opening a set of drawers. "What is this drawer for, Dinah ?" she said. "It's handy for most anything, missis," said Dinah.' So it appeared to be, from the variety it contained. Miss Ophelia pulled out first a fine damask tablecloth, stained with blood, having evidently been used to envelope some raw meat. "What's this Dinah? You don't wrap up meat in your mistress's best tablecloths?" "Oh, laws, missis, no; the towels was all a missin', so I just did it. I laid out to wash that ar, that's why I put it thar." "Shiftless!" said Miss Ophelia, using her favourite word; and proceeding to tumble over the drawer, she found a nutmeg-grater and two or three nutmegs, a hymn-book, a couple of soiled Madras handkerchiefs, some yarn and knitting-work, a paper of tobacco and a pipe, a few crackers, one or two gilded china saucers with some pomade in them, one or two thin old shoes, a piece of flannel carefully pinned up, enclosing some small white onions, several damask table-napkins, some coarse towels, some twine and darning-needles, and several broken papers, from which sundry sweet herbs were sifting into the drawer. "Where do you keep your nutmegs, Dinah ?" said Miss Ophelia, with the air of one who prayed for patience. "Most anywhar, missis; there's some in that cracked teapot, up there, and there's some over in that ar cupboard." "Here are some in the grater," said Miss Ophelia, holding them up. "Laws, yes, I put 'em there this morning. I likes to keep my things handy," said Dinah. "You, Jake! What are you stopping for? You'll cotch it! Be still, thar!" she added, with a dive of her stick at the culprit. "What's this?" said Miss Ophelia, holding up the saucer of pomade. "Laws, it's my har grease; I put it there to have it handy." "Do you use your mistress's best saucer for that?" "Law! it was 'cause I was driv, and in sich a hurry. I was gwine to change it this very day." "Here are two damask table-napkins." "Them table-napkins I put thar to get 'em washed out some day." "Don't you have some place here on purpose for things to be washed?" Well, Mas'r St. Clair got dat ar chest, he said, for that; but I likes to mix up biscuit and hev my things on it some days, and then it an't handy a liftin' up the lid." 66 Law, missis, it gets so full of dishes, and one thing or another, der an't no room, noways." "But you should wash your dishes, and clear them away.” "Wash my dishes?" said Dinah, in a high key, as her wrath began to rise over her habitual respect of manner. "What does ladies know 'bout work, I want to know? When'd mas'r ever get his dinner if I was to spend all my time a washin' and puttin' up dishes?" "Well, here are these onions." "Laws, yes!" said Dinah; "thar is whar I put 'em now. I couldn't 'member. Them's particlar onions I was a savin' for dis yer very stew. I'd forgot they was in dat ar old flannel." Miss Ophelia lifted out the sifting papers of sweet herbs. "I wish missis wouldn't touch dem ar. I likes to keep my things where I knows whar to go to 'em," said Dinah, rather decidedly. "But you 66 Laws, yes; if missis will go a tumblin' things all up so, it will. Missis has spilt lots dat ar way," said Dinah, coming uneasily to the drawers. "If missis only will go up stars till my clarin' up time comes, I'll have everything right; but I can't do nothin' when ladies is round, a henderin'. You, Sam, don't you gib the baby dat ar sugar-bowl! I'll crack ye over, if ye don't mind!" "I'm going through the kitchen, and going to put everything in order once, Dinah; and then I'll expect you to keep it so.” 66 Law, now, Miss Phelia! dat ar an't no way for ladies to do. I never did see ladies doin' no sich." And Dinah stalked indignantly about, while Miss Ophelia piled and sorted dishes, emptied dozens of scattered bowls of sugar into one receptacle, sorted |