Getting the House Ready

Katy worked with a will for the next two days.  Twenty times, at least, she went into the blue room to make sure that nothing was forgotten; repeating, as if it had been a lesson in geography, "Bath towels, face towels, matches, soap, candles, cologne, extra blanket, ink."  A nice little fire was lighted in the bedroom on Friday afternoon, and a big, beautiful one in the parlour, which looked very pleasant with the lamp lit and Clover's geraniums and china roses in the window.  The tea-table was set with the best linen and the pink and white china.  Debby's muffins were very light.  The crab-apple jelly came out of its mould clear and whole, and the cold chicken looked appetising, with its green wreath of parsley.  There was stewed potato, too, and, of course, oysters.

                                              From Susan Coolidge, What Katy Did at School, (first published in 1873)