I forgot that the little
house was fragrant with the odor of spice and fruit, and that there
was a man about who was ever on the lookout for good things to eat. It
is a shame that those cadets at West Point are so starved. They seem
to be simply famished for months after they graduate.
It so happened that there was choir practice that very evening, and
that I was at the chapel an hour or so. When I returned, I found the
three bachelors sitting around the open fire, smoking, and looking
very comfortable indeed. Before I was quite in the room they all stood
up and began to praise the cake. I think Faye was the first to mention
it, saying it was a "great success"; then the others said "perfectly
delicious," and so on, but at the same time assuring me that a large
piece had been left for me.
For one minute I stood still, not in the least grasping their meaning;
but finally I suspected mischief, they all looked so serenely
contented. So I passed on to the dining room, and there, on the table,
was one of the precious cakes - -at least what was left of it, the very
small piece that had been so generously saved for me. And there were
plates with crumbs, and napkins, that told the rest of the sad
tale - and there was wine and empty glasses, also.
