The word that escaped _my_ lips, I shrink from placing upon the printed page. A barrel of flour, one of sugar, another of corned beef, and a half-barrel of molasses, a box of candles, a can of kerosene oil, some cases of canned fruits, a box of laundry soap, three wash-tubs, and a firkin of butter--all these, and many other packages, covered the parlor floor, and sent up a smell suggestive of an unventilated grocery. The flour had sifted between the staves of the barrel, the molasses had dripped somewhat, the box of soap had broken open and a single bar had been fastened to the carpet by the seal of a boot-heel of heroic size. Sophronia stepped into little pools of molasses, and the effect seemed to be that the carpet rose to bestow sweet clinging kisses upon the dainty feet of the loveliest of her sex. "Horrible!" ejaculated Sophronia. "And here come the trucks," said I, looking out of the window, "and the one with the parlor furniture is in front." Fortunately, the truckmen were good-tempered and amenable to reason, expressed by means of currency; so we soon had the provisions moved into the kitchen. Then the senior truckman kindly consented to dispose of an old tarpaulin, at about twice the price of a piece of velvet carpet of similar size, and this we spread upon the parlor floor while the furniture should be brought in. Sophronia assumed the direction of proceedings, but it soon became evident that she was troubled. "The room, evidently, was not arranged for this furniture," said she. And she spoke truthfully. We had purchased a lounge, a large centre-table, an _etagere_, a Turkish chair, two reception chairs, four chairs to match the lounge, a rocker or two, an elegant firescreen, and several other articles of furniture, and there was considerable difficulty experienced, not only in arranging them, but in getting them into the parlor at all. Finally, the senior truckman spoke: [Illustration: A BRIGHT WELCOME SEEMED TO EXTEND ITSELF FROM THE WHOLE FACE OF THE COTTAGE.] "The only way to git everythin' in, is to fix 'em the way we do at the store--set 'em close together." He spoke truly; and Sophronia, with a sigh, assented to such an arrangement, suggesting that we could rearrange the furniture afterward, and stipulating only that the lounge should be placed in the front of the room. This done, there were three-and-a-half feet of space between the front of the lounge and the inside of the window-casings. We can, at least, sit upon it and lose our souls in the dying glories of the sun upon the eternal hills, and--"Gracious, Pierre, where's the piano to go?" Sure enough; and the piano was already at the door. The senior truckman cast his professional eye at the vacant space, and spoke: "You can put it right there," said he. "There won't be no room fur the stool to go behind it; but if you put the key-board to the front, an' open the winder, you can stand outdoors an' play."