Toast six slices of stale bread, dip them in hot salted water and butter them lightly.  After arranging them on a platter or deep plate, break enough eggs to cover them, breaking one at a time and slip over the toast so that they do not break; sprinkle over them salt and pepper and turn over all some kind of thickened gravy—­either chicken or lamb, cream or a cream sauce made the same as “White Sauce;” turn this over the toast and eggs and bake in a hot oven until the eggs are set, or about five minutes.  Serve at once.

HAM TOAST.

Take a quarter of a pound of either boiled or fried ham, chop it fine, mix it with the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, a tablespoonful of butter, and enough cream or rich milk to make it soft, a dash of pepper.  Stir it over the fire until it thickens.  Dip the toast for an instant in hot salted water; spread over some melted butter, then turn over the ham mixture.  Serve hot.

REED BIRDS ON TOAST.

Remove the feathers and legs of a dozen reed birds, split them down the back, remove the entrails, and place them on a double broiler; brush a little melted butter over them and broil the inner side thoroughly first; then lightly broil the other side.  Melt one quarter of a pound of butter, season it nicely with salt and pepper, dip the birds in it, and arrange them nicely on slices of toast.

MINCED FOWLS ON TOAST.

Remove from the bones all the meat of either cold roast or boiled fowls.  Clean it from the skin, and keep covered from the air until ready for use.  Boil the bones and skin with three-fourths of a pint of water until reduced quite half.  Strain the gravy and let it cool.  Next, having skimmed off the fat, put it into a clean saucepan with half a cup of cream, three tablespoonfuls of butter, well mixed with a tablespoonful of flour.  Keep these stirred until they boil.  Then put in the fowl finely minced, with three hard-boiled eggs, chopped, and sufficient salt and pepper to season.  Shake the mince over the fire until just ready to serve.  Dish it over hot toast and serve.

HASHED BEEF ON TOAST.

Chop a quantity of cold roast beef rather fine and season it well with pepper and salt.  For each pint of meat add a level tablespoonful of flour.  Stir well and add a small teacupful of soup-stock or water.  Put the mixture into a small stewpan and, after covering it, simmer for twenty minutes.  Meanwhile, toast half a dozen slices of bread nicely and at the end of the twenty minutes spread the meat upon them.  Serve at once on a hot dish.  In case water be used instead of soup-stock, add a tablespoonful of butter just before spreading the beef upon the toast.  Any kind of cold meat may be prepared in a similar manner.

Maria Parloa.