With her broad smile and the long bacon knife in her hand, she looked like a friendly brigand.

Alice was welcomed so warmly that she found it quite difficult to keep up her "manners." They consisted of persistent little coughs and hems, pulls at her gloves, tweaks at her skirt, and a curious difficulty in seeing what was set before her or understanding what was said.
Tea was laid on the parlour table--ham, sardines, a whole pound of butter, and such a large johnny cake that it looked like an advertisement for somebody's baking-powder.

But the Primus stove roared so loudly that it was useless to try to talk above it.

Alice sat down on the edge of a basket-chair while Mrs.Stubbs pumped the stove still higher.

Suddenly Mrs.Stubbs whipped the cushion off a chair and disclosed a large brown-paper parcel.
"I've just had some new photers taken, my dear," she shouted cheerfully to Alice.