“Oh Lor’, Miss Lady, ain’t ye neber seed a ‘stage plank’? It’s ter eat. It’s good,—ain’t it, Miss Peps’?”
“I don’t know, Tite; I never ate one,” replied Pepsie, smiling broadly, “but I dare say it’s good. It’s kind of you to think of us, and we’ll try it by and by.”
“Dear me!” said Pepsie, after Tite, who was grinning with satisfaction, had left the room. “What shall we do with it? We can’t eat it.”
“Perhaps Tony will,” exclaimed Lady Jane, eagerly. “He will eat almost anything. He ate all Tante Pauline’s shrimps, the other day, and he swallowed two live toads in Mam’selle Diane’s garden. Oh, he’s got a dreadful appetite. Tante Pauline says she can’t afford to feed him.” And she looked anxiously at her greedy pet.
“Well, we’ll try him,” said Pepsie, breaking off a piece of the ‘stage plank’ and throwing it to Tony. The bird gobbled it down promptly, and then looked for more.
Lady Jane clapped her hands delightedly. “Oh, isn’t Tony nice to eat it? But we mustn’t let Tite know, because she’d be sorry that we didn’t like it. We’ll keep it and give it all to Tony,” and in this way Tite’s “stage plank” was disposed of.
If Christmas was a merry day to Lady Jane, New Year’s was certainly a happy one. The Paichoux children came, as Pepsie said they would, loaded with bonbons and fireworks, and all day the neighborhood was lively with their fun—and such a dinner as they brought with them! Lady Jane thought there never could be anything as pretty as the table in Madelon’s little room, loaded, as it was, with all sorts of good things. Tante Modeste went home to dine with her husband, but the children remained until the milk-cart came for them when it was quite dark.
After they were all gone, and quiet was restored to the tiny dwelling, Lady Jane remarked to Pepsie that she thought New Year’s was better than Christmas.
“But just wait,” said Pepsie, smiling mysteriously, “just wait until Carnival. Christmas and New Year’s are lovely; but Mardi-gras—oh, Mardi-gras! there’s nothing like it in the world!”
Lady Jane wondered very much what “Mardi-gras” was, but tried to wait patiently until that wonderful day should arrive. The time did not pass slowly to her, surrounded as she was by tender care and affection.