There are some delightful little cakes, fit for the gods, or at any rate for afternoon tea, which go by the quaint name "maids of honor."

At one Fifth-avenue mansion they are considered a great delicacy. The recipe, by the way, has been in this family for generations. It descended possibly from the time of Queen Elizabeth; the making of these cakes was one of the occupations of the virgin Queen's ladies in waiting.

The night previous to making these cakes cut a piece of rennet about four inches square, wash off the salt carefully, wipe the rennet dry, and put it in a cup of warm water to soak. Early in the morning stir the rennet water into a quart of milk and set it in a warm place until the milk becomes firm, and put on ice; when quite cold, put the curd into a sieve and drain it dry, crumbling it fine in your hands. Have ready two ounces of sweet almonds, two ounces of bitter almonds, blanched and pounded in a mortar to a smooth paste and mixed, as you proceed, with rosewater, to prevent their oiling. Grate upon lumps of loaf sugar the yellow rind of three lemons, then squeeze the juice of the lemons over the sugar and let it dissolve. Mix in a deep pan the crumbled curd, with three-quarters of a pound of butter cut up and three-quarters of a pound of powdered sugar. Stir the curd, the butter and the sugar together till very light, adding a wineglass of brandy, the almonds and the lemon, also grate in a small nutmeg. Beat well together the yolks of eight eggs, then add gradually to the other ingredients, finishing with a tablespoonful of farina and beat the whole thoroughly. Have ready some puff paste, with which you line small patty pans, then fill with the mixture, and sift powdered sugar over each cake. Put in a hot oven and bake thoroughly.