Dramatis Personæ.--Amanda (friend of Elizabeth Eliza), Amanda’s mother, girls of the graduating class, Mrs. Peterkin, Elizabeth Eliza. AMANDA [coming in with a few graduates ]. MOTHER, the exhibition is over, and I have brought the whole class home to the collation. MOTHER.--The whole class! I But I only expected a few. AMANDA.--The rest are coming. I brought Julie, and Clara, and Sophie with me. [A voice is heard. ] Here are the rest. MOTHER.--Why, no. It is Mrs. Peterkin and Elizabeth Eliza! AMANDA.--Too late for the exhibition. Such a shame! But in time for the collation. MOTHER [to herself ].--If the ice-cream will go round. AMANDA.--But what made you so late? Did you miss the train? This is Elizabeth Eliza, girls--you have heard me speak of her. What a pity you were too late! MRS. PETERKIN.--We tried to come; we did our best. MOTHER.--Did you miss the train? Didn’t you get my postal-card? MRS. PETERKIN.--We had nothing to do with the train. AMANDA.--You don’t mean you walked? MRS. PETERKIN.--O no, indeed! ELIZABETH ELIZA.--We came in a horse and carryall. JULIA.--I always wondered how anybody could come in a horse! AMANDA.--You are too foolish, Julia. They came in the carryall part. But didn’t you start in time? MRS. PETERKIN.--It all comes from the carryall being so hard to turn. I told Mr. Peterkin we should get into trouble with one of those carryalls that don’t turn easy. ELIZABETH ELIZA.--They turn easy enough in the stable, so you can’t tell. MRS. PETERKIN.--Yes; we started with the little boys and Solomon John on the back seat, and Elizabeth Eliza on the front. She was to drive, and I was to see to the driving. But the horse was not faced toward Boston. MOTHER.--And you tipped over in turning round! Oh, what an accident! AMANDA.--And the little boys--where are they? Are they killed? ELIZABETH ELIZA.--The little boys are all safe. We left them at the Pringles’, with Solomon John. MOTHER.--But what did happen? MRS. PETERKIN.--We started the wrong way. MOTHER.--You lost your way, after all? ELIZABETH ELIZA.--No; we knew the way well enough. AMANDA.--It’s as plain as a pikestaff! MRS. PETERKIN.--No; we had the horse faced in the wrong direction,--toward Providence. ELIZABETH ELIZA.--And mother was afraid to have me turn, and we kept on and on till we should reach a wide place. MRS. PETERKIN.--I thought we should come to a road that would veer off to the right or left, and bring us back to the right direction. MOTHER.--Could not you all get out and turn the thing round? MRS. PETERKIN.--Why, no; if it had broken down we should not have been in anything, and could not have gone anywhere. ELIZABETH ELIZA.--Yes, I have always heard it was best to stay in the carriage, whatever happens. JULIA.--But nothing seemed to happen. MRS. PETERKIN.--O yes; we met one man after another, and we asked the way to Boston.