They were judges of china and fine linen, and they looked appreciatively at the table.  There were the neatest of tea-knives, the daintiest of spoons, jam glowed crimson through crystal, butter was there in a lordly dish, cakes from London, delicate sandwiches, Miss Bathgate’s best and lightest in the way of scones, shortbread crisp from the oven of Mrs. M’Cosh.

And here was Miss Reston looking lovely and exotic in a wonderful tea-frock, a class of garment hitherto unknown to the Miss Watsons, who thrilled at the sight.  Her welcome was so warm that it seemed to the guests, accustomed to the thus-far-and-no-further manner of the Priorsford great ladies, almost exuberant.  She led Miss Teenie to the most comfortable chair, she gave Miss Watson a footstool and put a cushion at her back, and talked so simply, and laughed so naturally, that the Miss Watsons forgot entirely to choose their topics and began on what was uppermost in their minds, the fact that Robina (the little maid) had actually managed that morning to break the gazogene.

Pamela, who had not a notion what a gazogene was, gasped the required surprise and horror and said, “But how did she do it?” which was the safest remark she could think of.

“Banged it in the sink,” said Miss Watson, with a dramatic gesture, “and the bottom came out.  I never thought it was possible to break a gazogene with all that wire-netting about it.”

“Robina,” said Miss Teenie gloomily, “could break a steam-roller let alone a gazogene.”

“It’ll be an awful miss,” said her sister.  “We’ve had it so long, and it always stood on the sideboard with a bottle of lemon-syrup beside it.”

Pamela was puzzling to think what this could be that stood on a sideboard companioned by lemon-syrup and compassed with wire-netting when Mawson showed in Mrs. Jowett, and with her Miss Mary Dawson, and the party was complete.

The Miss Watsons greeted the newcomers brightly, having met them on bazaar committees and at Red Cross work parties, and having always been treated courteously by both ladies.  They were quite willing to sink at once into a lower place now that two denizens of the Hill had come, but Pamela would have none of it.

They were the reason of the party; she made that evident at once.

Miss Teenie did not attempt the impossible and “toy” with her tea.  There was no need to.  The tea was delicious, and she drank three cups.  She tried everything on the table and pronounced everything excellent.  Never had she felt herself so entertaining such a capital talker as now, with Pamela smiling and applauding every effort.  Mrs. Jowett too, gentle lady, listened with most gratifying interest, and Miss Mary Dawson threw in kind, sensible remarks at intervals.  There was no arguing, no disagreeing, everybody “clinked” with everybody else—­a most pleasant party.

“And isn’t it awful,” said Miss Watson in a pause, “about our minister marrying?”