"
The children had now fallen asleep with their heads in close proximity to
their plates, and Mrs. Garie declared that she felt very much fatigued and
slightly indisposed, and thought the sooner she retired the better it would
be for her. She accordingly went up to the room, which she had already seen
and greatly admired, and was soon in the land of dreams.
As is always the case on such occasions, the children's night-dresses could
not be found. Clarence was put to bed in one of his father's shirts, in
which he was almost lost, and little Em was temporarily accommodated with a
calico short gown of Caddy's, and, in default of a nightcap, had her head
tied up in a Madras handkerchief, which gave her, when her back was turned,
very much the air of an old Creole who had been by some mysterious means
deprived of her due growth.
The next morning Mrs. Garie was so much indisposed at to be unable to rise,
and took her breakfast in bed. Her husband had finished his meal, and was
sitting in the parlour, when he observed a middle-aged coloured lady coming
into the garden.
"Look, Caddy," cried he, "isn't this your mother?"
"Oh, yes, that is she," replied Caddy, and ran and opened the door,
exclaiming, "Oh, mother, they're come;" and as she spoke, Mr.
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