He mapped out a dive under her bed if steps came up the stairs.

He heard now the piping voice of Patricia Whipple.
"It's like in the book about Ben Blunt that was adopted by a kind old gentleman and went up from rags to riches." This for some reason seemed to cause laughter below.
He heard, from Winona: "Do try a piece of Mother's cake.

Merle, dear, give Mrs.Whipple a plate and napkin." Cake! Certainly nothing like cake for this occasion had been intimated to him! They hadn't had cake at the Finkboners.

Things might have been different, but they had kept still about cake.

He listened intently, hearing laughing references to Merle in his new home.