Alice now rolled up her sleeves above the elbows, and tying a large white apron before her, set about gathering the different things she wanted for her work, to Ellen's great amusement. A white moulding-board was placed upon a table as white; and round it soon grouped the pail of flour, the plate of nice yellow butter, the bowl of cream, the sieve, tray, and sundry etceteras. And then, first sifting some flour into the tray, Alice began to throw in the other things one after another, and toss the whole about with a carelessness that looked as if all would go wrong, but with a confidence that seemed to say all was going right. Ellen gazed in comical wonderment. "Did you think cakes were made without hands?" said Alice, laughing at her look. "You saw me wash mine before I began." "Oh! I'm not thinking of that," said Ellen; "I am not afraid of your hands." "Did you never see your mother do this?" said Alice, who was now turning and rolling about the dough upon the board in a way that seemed to Ellen curious beyond expression. "No, never," she said. "Mamma never kept house, and I never saw anybody do it." "Then your aunt does not let you into the mysteries of bread and butter-making!" "Butter-making! Oh," said Ellen, with a sigh, "I have enough of that!" Alice now applied a smooth wooden roller to the cake with such quickness and skill, that the lump forthwith lay spread upon the board in a thin even layer, and she next cut it into little round cakes with the edge of a tumbler. Half the board was covered with the nice little white things, which Ellen declared looked good enough to eat already; and she had quite forgotten all possible causes of vexation, past, present, or future, when suddenly a large gray cat jumped upon the table, and coolly walking upon the moulding-board, planted his paw directly in the middle of one of his mistress's cakes. "Take him off — oh, Ellen!" cried Alice, — "take him off! I can't touch him." But Ellen was a little afraid. Alice then tried gently to shove puss off with her elbow; but he seemed to think that was very good fun, — purred, whisked his great tail over Alice's bare arm, and rubbed his head against it, having evidently no notion that he was not just where he ought to be. Alice and Ellen were too much amused to try any violent method of relief, but Margery happily coming in, seized puss in both hands and set him on the floor. "Just look at the print of his paw in that cake," said Ellen. "He has set his mark on it, certainly. I think it is his now, by the right of possession if not the right of discovery." "I think he discovered the cakes too," said Ellen, laughing. "Why, yes. He shall have that one baked for his supper." "Does he like cakes?" "Indeed he does. Captain Parry is very particular and delicate about his eating." "Captain Parry!" said Ellen, — "is that his name?"