Gruel, as such a one makes it, is no common fare, but delicate enough for a queen.

She set it down by the fire, and proceeded to lay the supper for her expected children.

The clean yellow-white table of soft smooth fir, needed no cloth--only horn spoons and wooden caups.
At length a hand came to the latch, and mother and daughter greeted as mother and daughter only can; then came a son, and mother and son greeted as mother and son only can.

They kept on arriving singly to the number of six--two daughters and four sons, the youngest some little time after the rest.

Each, as he or she came, Janet took to the bed, and showed her seventh child where he slept.