Mr. Blair sat down too ; he twisted the apron around to his back and rolled it up , but he did look so ashamed and worried that I felt sorry for him , and Diana said she feared we had called at an inconvenient time . ` Oh , not at all , ' said Mr. Blair , trying to smile ... you know he is always very polite ... ` I 'm a little busy ... getting ready to bake a cake as it were . My wife got a telegram today that her sister from Montreal is coming tonight and she 's gone to the train to meet her and left orders for me to make a cake for tea . She writ out the recipe and told me what to do but I 've clean forgot half the directions already . And it says , ` flavor according to taste . ' What does that mean ? How can you tell ? And what if my taste does n't happen to be other people 's taste ? Would a tablespoon of vanilla be enough for a small layer cake ? '' `` I felt sorrier than ever for the poor man . He did n't seem to be in his proper sphere at all . I had heard of henpecked husbands and now I felt that I saw one . It was on my lips to say , ` Mr. Blair , if you 'll give us a subscription for the hall I 'll mix up your cake for you . ' But I suddenly thought it would n't be neighborly to drive too sharp a bargain with a fellow creature in distress . So I offered to mix the cake for him without any conditions at all . He just jumped at my offer . He said he 'd been used to making his own bread before he was married but he feared cake was beyond him , and yet he hated to disappoint his wife . He got me another apron , and Diana beat the eggs and I mixed the cake . Mr. Blair ran about and got us the materials . He had forgotten all about his apron and when he ran it streamed out behind him and Diana said she thought she would die to see it .
He said he could bake the cake all right ... he was used XXXXX that ... and then he asked for our list and he put down four dollars .
about at before behind down for if in of to