Dramatis Person?.-Amanda (friend of Elizabeth Eliza), Amanda's mother, girls of the graduating class, Mrs.Peterkin, Elizabeth Eliza.AMANDA [coming in with a few graduates ].
MOTHER, the exhibition is over, and I have brought the whole class home to the collation.
MOTHER.- The whole class! I But I only expected a few.
AMANDA.- The rest are coming.I brought Julie, and Clara, and Sophie with me.[A voice is heard.] Here are the rest.
MOTHER.- Why, no.It is Mrs.Peterkin and Elizabeth Eliza!
AMANDA.- Too late for the exhibition.Such a shame! But in time for the collation.
MOTHER [to herself ].- If the ice-cream will go round.
AMANDA.- But what made you so late? Did you miss the train?
This is Elizabeth Eliza, girls-you have heard me speak of her.
What a pity you were too late!
MRS.PETERKIN.- We tried to come; we did our best.
MOTHER.- Did you miss the train? Didn't you get my postal-card?
MRS.PETERKIN.- We had nothing to do with the train.
AMANDA.- You don't mean you walked?
MRS.PETERKIN.- O no, indeed!
ELIZABETH ELIZA.- We came in a horse and carryall.
JULIA.- I always wondered how anybody could come in a horse!
AMANDA.- You are too foolish, Julia.They came in the carryall part.But didn't you start in time?
MRS.PETERKIN.- It all comes from the carryall being so hard to turn.I told Mr.
Peterkin we should get into trouble with one of those carryalls that don't turn easy.
ELIZABETH ELIZA.- They turn easy enough in the stable, so you can't tell.
MRS.PETERKIN.- Yes; we started with the little boys and Solomon John on the back seat, and Elizabeth Eliza on the front.
She was to drive, and I was to see to the driving.But the horse was not faced toward Boston.
MOTHER.- And you tipped over in turning round! Oh, what an accident!
AMANDA.- And the little boys-where are they? Are they killed?
ELIZABETH ELIZA.- The little boys are all safe.We left them at the Pringles', with Solomon John.
MOTHER.- But what did happen?
MRS.PETERKIN.- We started the wrong way.
MOTHER.- You lost your way, after all?
ELIZABETH ELIZA.- No; we knew the way well enough.
AMANDA.- It's as plain as a pikestaff!
MRS.PETERKIN.- No; we had the horse faced in the wrong direction,-toward Providence.
ELIZABETH ELIZA.- And mother was afraid to have me turn, and we kept on and on till we should reach a wide place.
MRS.PETERKIN.- I thought we should come to a road that would veer off to the right or left, and bring us back to the right direction.
MOTHER.- Could not you all get out and turn the thing round?
MRS.PETERKIN.- Why, no; if it had broken down we should not have been in anything, and could not have gone anywhere.
ELIZABETH ELIZA.- Yes, I have always heard it was best to stay in the carriage, whatever happens.
JULIA.- But nothing seemed to happen.
MRS.PETERKIN.- O yes; we met one man after another, and we asked the way to Boston.
ELIZABETH ELIZA.- And all they would say was, "Turn right round-you are on the road to Providence."MRS.PETERKIN.- As if we could turn right round! That was just what we couldn't.
MOTHER.- You don't mean you kept on all the way to Providence?
ELIZABETH ELIZA.- O dear, no! We kept on and on, till we met a man with a black hand-bag-black leather I should say.
JULIA.- He must have been a book-agent.
MRS.PETERKIN.- I dare say he was; his bag seemed heavy.He set it on a stone.
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told him I hadn't time to read so much.He said that was no matter, few did, and it wasn't much worth it-they bought books for the look of the thing.
AMANDA.- Now, that was illiterate; he never could have graduated.I hope, Elizabeth Eliza, you had nothing to do with that man.
