What should they do? The furniture
carts had appeared soon after the rest had left for Boston, and the men
had insisted upon beginning to move the things. In vain had she shown
Elizabeth Eliza's programme, in vain had she insisted they must take
only the parlor furniture. They had declared they must put the heavy
pieces in the bottom of the cart, and the lighter furniture on top. So
she had seen them go into every room in the house, and select one piece
of furniture after the other, without even looking at Elizabeth Eliza's
programme; she doubted if they could have read it, if they had looked
at it.
Mr. Peterkin had ordered the carters to come, but he had no idea they
would come so early, and supposed it would take them a long time to
fill the carts.
But they had taken the dining-room sideboard first,--a heavy piece of
furniture,--and all its contents were now on the dining-room tables.
Then, indeed, they selected the parlor book-case, but had set every
book on the floor. The men had told Mrs. Peterkin they would put the
books in the bottom of the cart, very much in the order they were taken
from the shelves. But by this time Mrs. Peterkin was considering the
carters as natural enemies, and dared not trust them; besides, the
books ought all to be dusted.
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