238 Lom Seven Years Old.

thought the rows of china plates on the wall
looked just as nice as the ornaments in the
drawing-room, and the fireplace was much
bigger, and always had a brighter fire burn-
ing in it. When the fruit was quite ready,
the cook put it into the pot, with the sugar,
to boil into jam, and Tom jumped round the
table in waiting. It took some time to make,
just as everything else did, and at last the
cook said that they had better go upstairs,
and she would send it to them as soon as it
was ready. Tom and Archie both looked
into the pot, to see how it was getting on.
They would have liked to have tasted it, to
have seen what half-made jam tasted like, but
it was too burning-hot to swallow.

“But the scum,” said Tom: “we always
have the scum for tea. You won't forget
that ?”

She promised not to do so. And she kept
her word. ‘The scum came up in a saucer at
tea-time, warm and frothy and good; and
Archie and Tom finished it. )

When the blackberries were quite boiled