Mrs. Fraser was just setting out for the village street, to order the dinner.  The Governor was expected to pass through the place, and was to be met at the Town Hall.  Jimmy, the only son in the family, had gone off to see the show.

“Now, if he were a real, genuine governor,” said Carrie, “like a prince in a fairytale, you would go and beseech him to grant your wishes.  You would fall on your knees, or something, and he would beg you to rise, and your lovely daughter should have all that she wished.”

“I am afraid you are very foolish,” sighed Mrs. Fraser; “but I will see the Governor.  Perhaps he can advise what is best.”

It seemed to Carrie as if her mother were gone a great while.  “She might have got six dinners!” she exclaimed to herself.  “How tiresome!  I wish I had gone down myself, anyway.  All the girls and boys have gone, and I might have seen the Governor.”

But she passed the time in rocking backward and forward in a rocking-chair; for to her other faults Carrie added that of laziness, and when the other girls had gone down town, and had urged her to go with them, she had been quite too lazy to go for her hat or to hunt up her boot button-hook.

“It seems as if Jimmy might have come back to tell about things,” she went on.  “Oh dear me! if I had only a chariot and four to go down with, and somebody to dress me and find my boots and my hat and my gloves, then it would have been worth while to go.  I mean to make out a list of wishes, in case somebody should grant me the power to have them.”

She took out a little blank-book from her pocket, and began to write down:—­

“1.  A chariot and four, man to drive, striped afghan, etc.

“2.  Maid to find and put on hat, boots, etc.

“3.  Plenty of hats, boots, and gloves for the maid to put on, and so that they could be found when wanted.”

“That would be bully!” said Carrie, interrupting herself.  “If I had gloves in every drawer and on every shelf, I should not have to be looking for them.  I might have a hat on every peg in the house except what Jimmy uses.  I might have a sack over the back of every chair, and gloves in the pockets of each.  The boots could be in each corner of the room and on all the top shelves.  But boot-hooks! there’s the stunner!  Where could one find boot-buttoners enough?  They do get out of the way so!  I should have six in every drawer, one in each pocket, half a dozen in Mamma’s basket, a row on the mantelpiece—­on all the mantelpieces.  Then perhaps I could do without a maid; at least, save her up till I grow older.  Let’s see.  That makes three wishes.  They generally have three.  If I strike out the maid, I can think of something else.  Suppose I say something to eat, then.  Chocolate creams!  I never had enough yet.”

At this moment Mrs. Fraser returned, looking quite heated and breathless.  She had to fling herself into a chair by the window to recover strength enough to speak, and then her words came out in gasps.