four o'clock
She insists that the spear which would pierce the shirt of mail would be turned aside and blunted by the ordinary scone of commerce ; but what signifies the opinion of a woman who eats sugar on her porridge ? Considering the air of liberal hospitality that hangs about the castle tea-table , I wonder that our friends do not oftener avail themselves of its privileges and allow us to do so ; but on all dark , foggy , or inclement days , or whenever they tire of the sands , everybody persists in taking tea at Bide-a-Wee Cottage . We buy our tea of the Pettybaw grocer , some of our cups are cracked , the teapot is of earthenware , Miss Grieve disapproves of all social tea-fuddles , and shows it plainly when she brings in the tray , and the room is so small that some of us overflow into the hall or the garden ; it matters not ; there is some fatal charm in our humble hospitality . At four o'clock one of us is obliged to be , like Sister Anne , on the housetop ; and if company approaches , she must descend and speed to the plumber 's for six pennyworth extra of cream . In most well-ordered British households Miss Grieve would be requested to do this speeding , but both her mind and her body move too slowly for such domestic crises ; and then , too , her temper has to be kept as unruffled as possible , so that she will cut the bread and butter thin . This she generally does if she has not been ` fair doun-hadden wi ' wark ' ; but the washing of her own spinster cup and plate , together with the incident sighs and groans , occupies her till so late an hour that she is not always dressed for callers . Willie and I were reading The Lady of the Lake the other day , in the back garden , surrounded by the verdant leafage of our own kale-yard .