“What are you going to have for breakfast?” said Mary Bell to Mary Erskine, while they were getting up.

“What should you like?” asked Mary Erskine in reply.

“Why I should like some roast potatoes, and a spider cake,” said Mary Bell.

The spider cake received its name from being baked before the fire in a flat, iron vessel, called a spider.  The spider was so called probably, because, like the animal of that name, it had several legs and a great round body.  The iron spider, however, unlike its living namesake, had a long straight tail, which, extending out behind, served for a handle.

The spider cake being very tender and nice, and coming as it usually did, hot upon the table, made a most excellent breakfast,—­though this was not the principal reason which led Mary Bell to ask for it.  She liked to make the spider cake; for Mary Erskine, after mixing and preparing the material, used to allow Mary Bell to roll it out to its proper form, and put it into the spider.  Then more than all the rest, Mary Bell liked to bake a spider cake.  She used to take great pleasure in carrying the cake in her two hands to the fire-place, and laying it carefully in its place in the spider, and then setting it up before the fire to bake, lifting the spider by the end of the tail.  She also took great satisfaction afterward in watching it, as the surface which was presented toward the fire became browned by the heat.  When it was sufficiently baked upon one side it had to be turned, and then set up before the fire again, to be baked on the other side; and every part of the long operation was always watched by Mary Bell with great interest and pleasure.

Mary Erskine consented to Mary Bell’s proposal in respect to breakfast, and for an hour Mary Bell was diligently employed in making the preparations.

[Illustration:  MARY BELL GETTING BREAKFAST.]

She put the potatoes in the bed which Mary Erskine opened for them in the ashes.  She rolled out the spider cake, and put it into the spider; she spread the cloth upon the table, and took down the plates, and the cups and saucers from the cupboard, and set them in order on the table.  She went down into the little cellar to bring up the butter.  She skimmed a pan of milk to get the cream, she measured out the tea; and at last, when all else was ready, she took a pitcher and went down to the spring to bring up a pitcher of cool water.  In all these operations Bella accompanied her, always eager to help, and Mary Bell, knowing that it gave Bella great pleasure to have something to do, called upon her, continually, for her aid, and allowed her to do every thing that it was safe to entrust to her.  Thus they went on very happily together.