noon
gasped Billie , sitting down hard on the chair she had been dusting and regarding Debbie 's black face with dismay . `` You never can mean that you are going to desert me , Debbie ? Leave me to do all the cooking and -- and -- everything -- '' The awful vision was too much for her and her voice died down to a whisper . `` I 'm tur ` ble sorry , Miss Billie , '' said Debbie , gently but very , very firmly , `` but mah young man and me we has a mos ' awful impo ` tant in-gagement fo ' dis aft ` noon , an ' I could n't break it -- no 'm , much as I want to . '' She added that last in the evident hope of appeasing her young mistress , who was still regarding her with horrified eyes . `` But , Debbie , '' gasped Billie when she could find her voice , `` I do n't know a thing in the world about cooking . Have you -- have you -- ordered anything ? ''