Molly had long wanted to make an experiment with oysters; she believed simply panned and served with brown butter they would be delicious. She had never heard of “oysters _au beurre noir_,” but, knowing they must be good, resolved to try the experiment. She waited, however, till Harry was in the house, for they would spoil by standing. She made the sauce first, because the oysters must not wait. She put a good table-spoonful of butter into a little saucepan and watched it till it got golden _brown_, but did not burn; then she put it aside to cool a little, and heated a tea-spoonful of vinegar in a cup, Marta meantime draining the oysters. They were put in a stewpan with pepper and salt, covered tightly and set over the fire and tossed round once or twice, the heated (but _not boiled_) vinegar was put to the brown butter, they were made very hot together, and when the oysters were plumped in their own steam, they were drained off and turned into a hot dish, with the brown butter over them, and served at once. They were such a success that this became a favorite oyster dish with the Bishop family. CHAPTER XXXII. VEAL AND HAM PIE—BEEFSTEAK PUDDING—TRIFLE. MOLLY’S expense-book at the end of the first week of her second month (October) stood as follows: 3 lbs. butter $0.75 Eggs .50 Milk .60 Tea .40 Fuel .50 Suet .08 Soup meat .20 Beef (flank), 3 lbs .36 Beets .05 Bacon .15 Cream .10 Flounder .15 Beans .04 Fowl .45 Oysters .40 Mutton (leg) .75 Bananas .25 Codfish .24 Sweetbread .25 Corn starch .02 ——— $6.34 In addition to the usual week’s supplies, she had bought extra: Eggs $0.25 Ice .10 Milk, 3 pints .12 ——— $1.47 The groceries for the month came to $10.02, against $11.22 for last month. The week’s proportion was therefore $2.56, making a total of $9.32.