The Craze of Christina — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

80 The Craze of Christina. hands deprecatingly as though to wash them of the contemplated iniquity. “Very well, sir, James Docker says no more,’’ he replied, with resignation and smothered wrath. But he did say a great deal more be- fore the Saturday came, for he proceeded to make difficulties, every sort of difficulty in fact. Docker was sure he didn’t know how many people to provide for; whether there were enough cups and saucers for them, to say nothing of spoons—of course there were the best tea-spoons, but Docker wouldn’t take upon himself to open the large plate-chest in order to get at spoons that had remained locked up in it for close on a hundred years; and when these were got out—and, of course, if Mr. Clifferd in- sisted on the plate-chest being opened he sup- posed it would have to be done—how was them spoons to be cleaned by Saturday, if he might be so bold as to ask? and where was all the cakes and kickshaws needful for ‘‘them ladies’’ to come from, Docker would like to know? and who was to wait on ’em all? It was only when, worn almost to desperation by these and similar other disagreeable queries, Mr. Clifford lost his temper utterly, and declared that he would telegraph up to Gunter’s for crockery, plate, eatables and waiters, that comicbooks.ce