AUNT JANE'S OOOKINO GLASS. 173 ""We haven't asked her, but I know she will," said Grace, and ran off to make sure of it. Any one who knows Aunt Jane can easily guess the answer. Soon after breakfast on Thursday morning she met the three older girls at Mrs. Carroll's. " Mamma is just going to have a simple lunch to-day and a late dinner," said Rose, " so that nothing can possi- bly interfere with us, and we'll have the whole day to our- selves." " Your mother and I have had some consultation about our refreshments and other matters," said Mrs. King. " At first we were going to have the good old-fashioned hours of four to eight, but there must be a birthday cake, and that wouldn't be any thing without candles, and the candles won't show by daylight; so, all things considered, as the weather is very hot and the visitors wouldn't want to come out early in the afternoon, the invitations have been made from five to nine." " The three little ones are going round giving them this morning," said Rose, " So we will have a regular tea (only there won't be any tea,) at half-past six; and about a quarter before nine we'll have the cake, all lighted up, and some lemonade." 174 SIX LITTLE COOKS. The girls approved of this, and Aunt Jane set them at work without delay. " We'll get our fruit ready first of all," said she. " It is very tedious to stop after one has begun cooking to stone raisins or wash currants." Grace and Edith took the dish of raisins between them, with a small case-knife apiece, a plate on which to put the seeded fruit, a bowl of water to dip their sticky fingers in, and a towel to wipe them on; also a piece of brown paper on which to scrape off the seeds. " It is never any loss of time," said Mrs. King, " to make everything as convenient as possible before you be- gin. Make-shifts seem to save a minute or two at first, but they don't in the end." Rose undertook to prepare the dried currants. " Oh, what dirty things ! " she exclaimed. "Are these what they put in cake?' "Just these and nothing else," answered Aunt Jane. " But after they have passed through your hands they will be quite another thing. Shake them out over this large dish, and pick out the most obvious intruders- stones, leaves, sticks, and so forth." After this the currants were poured into a large pan of water, rinsed round, and allowed to settle. This was AUNT JANE'S COOKING CLASS. 175 repeated four times, the water looking less and less black after each operation. After the fifth water was poured off, Mrs. King said they were ready to dry. " Now take this large crash towel and rub them in it, a few at a time," said she. It was surprising to see how much dirt and how many scraps of foreign matter the currants had contrived to re- tain in spite of all their duckings and sousings; but towels were plenty and Rose was almost nervously neat, and she did not let them go until they were what she called "really, truly, eatably clean." " This fruit is all for the birthday cake," said Aunt Jane, as she showed her pupils how to shred up citron. " What we will have on the tea-table will be quite plain." "What else are we going to have for tea!" asked Grace.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

""We haven't asked her, but I know she will," said Grace, and ran off to make sure of it. Any one who knows Aunt Jane can easily guess the answer. Soon after breakfast on Thursday morning she met the three older girls at Mrs. Carroll's. " Mamma is just going to have a simple lunch today and a late dinner," said Rose, " so that nothing can possibly interfere with us, and we'll have the whole day to ourselves." " Your mother and I have had some consultation about our refreshments and other matters," said Mrs. King. " At first we were going to have the good old-fashioned hours of four to eight, but there must be a birthday cake, and that wouldn't be any thing without candles, and the candles won't show by daylight; so, all things considered, as the weather is very hot and the visitors wouldn't want to come out early in the afternoon, the invitations have been made from five to nine." " The three little ones are going round giving them this morning," said Rose, " So we will have a regular tea (only there won't be any tea) at half-past six; and about a quarter before nine we'll have the cake, all lighted up, and some lemonade." The girls approved of this, and Aunt Jane set them at work without delay. " We'll get our fruit ready first of all," said she. " It is very tedious to stop after one has begun cooking to stone raisins or wash currants." Grace and Edith took the dish of raisins between them, with a small case-knife apiece, a plate on which to put the seeded fruit, a bowl of water to dip their sticky fingers in, and a towel to wipe them on; also a piece of brown paper on which to scrape off the seeds. " It is never any loss of time," said Mrs. King, " to make everything as convenient as possible before you begin. Make-shifts seem to save a minute or two at first, but they don't in the end." Rose undertook to prepare the dried currants. " Oh, what dirty things ! " she exclaimed. "Are these what they put in cake?' "Just these and nothing else," answered Aunt Jane. " But after they have passed through your hands they will be quite another thing. Shake them out over this large dish, and pick out the most obvious intruders—stones, leaves, sticks, and so forth." After this the currants were poured into a large pan of water, rinsed round, and allowed to settle. This was repeated four times, the water looking less and less black after each operation. After the fifth water was poured off, Mrs. King said they were ready to dry. " Now take this large crash towel and rub them in it, a few at a time," said she. It was surprising to see how much dirt and how many scraps of foreign matter the currants had contrived to retain in spite of all their duckings and sousings; but towels were plenty and Rose was almost nervously neat, and she did not let them go until they were what she called "really, truly, eatably clean." " This fruit is all for the birthday cake," said Aunt Jane, as she showed her pupils how to shred up citron. " What we will have on the tea-table will be quite plain." "What else are we going to have for tea!" asked Grace.

Six little cooks