12 / 158
fl^omt
iWatre
Wiimu
villagers
called
the
few
Colonial
mansions,
were
invariably
spinsters
or
widows
of
un-
certain
years,
the
last
descendants
of
a
long
line
of
sea
captains
and
prosperous
mari-
ners,
to
whom
the
heritage
of
these
old
homes,
rich
with
their
time-honored
furnish-
ings
and
curios,
served
to
keep
warm
the
cockles
of
kindly
hearts,
which
extended
to
the
stranger
that
traditional
hospitality
which
makes
the
whole
world
kin.
The
social
customs
of
this
Adamless
Eden
were
precise
and
formal.
As
with
the
dear
ladies
of
Cranford,
a
call
was
a
very
serious
affair,
given
and
received
with
great
gravity,
and had
its
time
limit
set
with
strict
punc-
tuality.
Cake
and
wine
were
invariably
served
as
a
preliminary
warning
toward
early
departure.
Here
came
in
my
first
ac-
quaintance
with
many
varieties
of
home-made
wines,
over
whose
wealth
of
color
and
deli-
cacy
of
flavor
my
eyes
and
palate
longed
to
linger.
Vulgar
curiosity
made
me
bold
to
inquire
the
names
of
a
few;
imagine
my
astonish-
ment
when
graciously
told
that
the
gay
dan-
delion,
the
modest
daisy,
the
blushing
cur-
rant,
had
one
and
all
contributed
their
nectar
to
the
joy
of
the
occasion.
Flattered
by
my
interest,
my
gentle
hostess
broke
strict
rules
of
etiquette
and
invited
me
to
linger,
show-
12