It was dusk before sister and St.George could get them to think of what we had to do.

To send and stop the bells from ringing early the next morning; to stop several people who were coming by rail to dinner that day, and expecting to sleep in the house on account of the unusual weather; to let Dick A'Court know, and the other clergyman, who were to have married them; and to prevent as many people as possible from coming to the breakfast, or to the church; to stop the men who were making a path to it through the drift--Oh you can't think what a confusion there presently was, and we had four or five hired flys in the stable, ready to fetch our friends, and take them to church, too; and there was such a smell all over, of roasting things and baking things.

Well, Laura, off we all set into the kitchen, and sent off the hired men with the flys, and every servant we had in the house, male or female--and Grand's men too--excepting sister's little maid to attend to Dorothea.

They went with messages and letters and telegrams right and left, to prevent the disgrace of any more people coming to look at us.

And then, when they were all gone, we being in the kitchen, John soon recollected how the cook had begged us to be very particular, and put water every now and then into the boiler, for the pipe that supplied it was frozen, and if we didn't mind it would burst.