On my birthday Mother gave me the very sweetest little tea-set you ever saw in all your life. So I thought I would have a grand “at home” and invite some of my little friends to tea in the garden, I remember Dora Smith had a tea-party once, and we all sat round a little square table in the nursery and enjoyed ourselves very much.
But Dora’s tea-set is not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as mine: hers is made of thick white china, while mine is the daintiest set you can imagine, with dear little blue flowers all around the rims.
So of course my tea-party was a very great success, for everything depends upon the cups and saucers.
Even baby toddled up to the table and stood lost in admiration, lisping, “Pitty tups! Pitty tups!” Our baby always shows good taste; but I suppose it runs in the family.
The first guest to arrive at my “at home” was Dora Smith, with a doll on each arm. We kissed each other, and her dolls shook hands rather shyly with my dolls and then we walked across the lawn and went to look at the tea-table. The cakes and all good things looked delicious; but Dora didn’t seem to notice them.
“Oh! Mollie,” she cried, “What a darling little tea-set!”
Just what I told you: the principal thing at a tea-party is the cups + saucers!
Marjory Price arrived rather late with her best doll, and then we had tea, and afterwards played games till it was time for my little friends to go home. They all said they had enjoyed themselves immensely, and they hoped I should have another “at home” before long.
The only one who didn’t appreciate the tea-set was Pat, my little black kitten who didn’t behave at all nicely; for while we were playing our games he jumped up on the table and upset the milk-jug. I told him he might have broken my beautiful cups and saucers, and scolded him well for his bad behaviour; but he only looked at me as much to say: ‘I don’t care about your precious cups & saucers! What I wanted was a drop of milk and why did you forget to give me any? Cups and saucers, indeed!”
