Mr. Newbeginner, as soon as he had cooked one batch of cakes, placed them beside the meat and potatoes. Then he baked another and another. Alas, just as the last cake was baked, Mrs. Newbeginner bustled in from the bedroom where they had set the table. Now there was a long pole that ran out from the oven as its main support. Poor Mrs. Newbeginner in her excitement over their first breakfast somehow stumbled over the pole. Down she fell. But worse, down fell the stove also, and the breakfast which had caused them so much trouble tumbled into the red hot coals. Up jumped Mrs. Newbeginner, and threw some water that happened to be handy on the fire. Her quickness saved their home from being burned, but not their breakfast. Tears rose and welled over the face of Mr. Newbeginner in a very unmanly fashion as he gave vent to his anger. "Well, I declare, you are the clumsiest person I ever saw. I am sorry I ever invited you to this house." Mrs. Newbeginner looked grieved and angry. "It's as much mine as yours." "No, it isn't. The wood belongs to me, and it is built on my place. My beautiful pancakes are gone." He did not seem to mind so much about the food that Mrs. Newbeginner had cooked, and on which she had prided herself. "You are the most careless girl I ever saw." "I couldn't help it. It hurt my legs awfully. See how they are skinned, but I didn't cry, did I?" Even the sight of a pair of poor, bruised shins did not soften Mr. Newbeginner. "I suppose we'll have to go into the house, after all, for our breakfast. It'll be dreadfully hu-mil-ia-ting." "Can't we go to work and cook another?" proposed tired, redfaced little Mrs. Newbeginner. "No, we can't. The stove would have to be fixed, and we haven't time. Even if we had, though, I wouldn't trust you to help with another meal." Now this was too much for Mrs. Newbeginner's overtaxed nerves. "You're just horrid to say that and I'll never play with you again as long as I live. I'm going home to my mamma." Whereupon she stalked out through the door. The sight of her retreating figure brought Mr. Newbeginner to his senses. He ran to the door after her. "Please come back. I'm sorry." His repentance came too late, however. His wife pretended not to hear. He grew desperate. "If you don't come back, I'll never make up with you, either. Please, please, come back." Either she did not hear, or else she was too grieved to be moved by his entreaties. She did not return, but wended her way back to her mother's home. Now this unfortunate matrimonial experience made Beth reckless. Unluckily, upon reaching home, she discovered that both her mother and Marian had gone into town to spend the day with the Corners. Still worse, temptation assailed her in the form of an invitation from Harvey Baker.