Lobelia, it was felt, had scurvily manipulated the situation--her situation, it might have been put, if any Murchison had been in the temper for jesting.
She had taken unjustifiable means to do a more unjustifiable thing, to secure for herself an improper and unlawful share of the day's excitements, transferring her work, by the force of circumstances, to the shoulders of other people since, as Mrs Murchison remarked, somebody had to do it.

Nor had she her mistress testified the excuse of fearing unreasonable confinement.

"I told her she might go when she had done her dishes after dinner," said Mrs Murchison, "and then she had only to come back at six and get tea--what's getting tea?
I advised her to finish her ironing yesterday, so as to be free of it today; and she said she would be very glad to.

Now, I wonder if she DID finish it!" and Mrs Murchison put down her pan of potatoes with a thump to look in the family clothes basket.

"Not she! Five shirts and ALL the coloured things.