Dear Belle, having only partially recovered from the white-soup catastrophe, called Mr.Biddle to hold the ice-cream freezer while she poured in the luscious compound she had just prepared.

He held it up without resting it on anything, while Belle slowly poured in the cream.

As the freezer had no indentations round the top or rim to brace the thumbs and fingers, when it grew suddenly heavier his hands slipped and down went the whole thing, spattering poor Belle and spoiling a beautiful pair of gaiters in which, as she had very pretty feet, she took a laudable pride.

In another corner sat Wealthea Backus, grating some cocoanut.

While struggling in that operation, John Miller, feeling hilarious, was annoying her in divers ways; at length she drew the grater across his nose, gently, as she intended, but alas! she took the skin off, and John's beauty, for the remainder of the festivities, was marred with a black patch on that prominent feature.
One can readily imagine the fun that must have transpired where so many amateur cooks were at work round one table, with all manner of culinary tools and ingredients.
As assistant-at-large I was summoned to the cellar, where Mrs.Cornelia Barclay of New York was evolving from a pan of flour and water that miracle in the pie department called puff paste.