"And have they," asked Mr. Parker, "the sustaining power that the
cakes made here of old had?"
"If you eat enough of them you may get to Edinburgh to-night before
you are very hungry," said John.
"The abbey cakes were unleavened," Bessie explained, "which these are
not, so that they are less substantial fare."
"What do you raise them with?" asked Mrs. Parker.
"Butter, milk and carbonate of soda," said Miss Ormiston.
"We call Bessie a doctor of the Carbon," said John: "she makes very
good scones, although you would hardly go from here to Canterbury on
the strength of one of them."
"Mr. Forrester, are you dull?" asked Jessie: "you are not saying
anything."
"I am too busy eating the holy cakes, Jessie," said Edwin: "your
sister is a master in her art."
"I say," Jessie went on, "are you ever dull at home? When I told
Bessie that you had come she was surprised, and said that you must
surely be dull at home. I am sorry for you if you are: you should come
here oftener--we are never dull here."
"Perhaps," said Edwin, "your sister thinks I come too often, as it
is."
Bessie was so deeply engaged pressing Mr. Parker to eat strawberry
jam, with cheeks the color of the fruit, that of course she could not
have heard what her sister had been saying.
"Oh no, I don't think she thinks that at all," Jessie said: "we never
think any one can come too often. Bessie, can Mr. Forrester come too
often?"
But still Miss Ormiston was so occupied with Mr.
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