第5章

Whenhurriedservantsweresenttofindtheiryoungmistresstheyreportedthatshemusthavegoneout，andintruthshehad;outonherownroof，whereshesatquitestill，thoughshiveringalittlenowandthenfromthenewexcitement，untildinnertime。

Thismeal，inthemindofMadamWeatherstone，wasthecrowningfactorofdailylife;and，onstateoccasions，ofsociallife。Inhercosmogonythecentralsunwasaroundmahoganytable;allotherdetailsofhousekeepingrevolvedaboutitinvaryingorbits。Toserveanendlessseriesofdignifieddeliciousmeals，notablydinners，was，inhereyes，thechiefendofwoman;themosthighpurposeofthehome。

Therefore，thoughangryandastounded，sheappearedpromptlywhenthemealwasannounced;andwhenherdaughter—in—law，sereneandroyallyattired，tookherplaceasusual，noemotionwasallowedtoappearbeforethepurplefootmanwhoattended。

"Iunderstoodyouwereout，Viva，"shesaidpolitely。

"Iwas，"repliedViva，withequaldecorum。"Itischarmingoutsideatthistimeintheevening——don’tyouthinkso？"

YoungMatthewwasgloomyandirritablethroughoutthelengthandbreadthofthemeal;andwhentheywereleftwiththeircoffeeinthedrawingroom，hebrokeout，"What’sthisIhearaboutMrs。Halseybeingfiredwithoutnotice？"

"ThatiswhatIwishtoknow，Viva，"saidthegrandmother。"Thepoorwomanisgreatlydistressed。Istherenotsomemistake？"

"It’sadamnshame，"saidMatthew。

Theyoungerladyglancedfromonetotheother，andwonderedtoseehowlittleshemindedit。"Thedoorwasthereallthetime！"shethoughttoherself，asshelookedherstepsonintheeyeandsaid，"Hardlydrawing—roomlanguage，Matthew。Yourgrandmotherispresent！"

Hestaredatherindumbamazement，soshewenton，"No，thereisnomistakeatall。IdischargedMrs。Halseyaboutanhourbeforedinner。

Thetermsoftheengagementwereamonth’swarningoramonth’swages。

Igaveherthewages。"

"But！but！"MadamWeatherstonewasgenuinelyconfusedbythissuddeninexplicable，yetperfectlypolitepieceofwhatshestillfelttobeinthenatureof’interference’and’presumption。’"Ihavehadnofaulttofindwithher。"

"Ihave，yousee，"saidherdaughter—in—lawsmiling。"Ifoundherunsatisfactoryandshallreplaceherwithsomethingbetterpresently。

Howaboutalittlemusic，Matthew？Won’tyoustartthevictrolla？"

Matthewwouldn’t。Hewasgoingout;wentoutwiththeword。MadamWeatherstonedidn’twishtohearit——hadaheadache——mustgotoherroom——wenttoherroomforthwith。TherewasatensionintheathmospherethatwouldhavewrungtearsfromVivaWeatherstoneaweekago，yes，twenty—fourhoursago。

Asitwassherosetoherfeet，stretchingherselftoherfullheight，andwalkedthelengthofthegreatemptyroom。Sheevenlaughedalittle。"It’sopen！"saidshe，andorderedthecar。WhilewaitingforitshechattedwithMrs。Porneawhileovertheall—convenienttelephone。

*

Dianthasatatherwindow，watchingthebigsoft，brilliantmoonbehindtheeucalyptustrees。Afterthecloseofthestrenuousmeeting，shehadwithdrawnfromthecrowdofexcitedwomenanxioustoshakeherhandandengageheronthespot，hadaskedtimetoconsideranumberofgoodopportunitiesoffered，andhadsurvivedthecoldandangryglancesofthenowsmallerbutfarmoreunitedHomeandCultureClub。Shedeclinedtotalktothereporters，andtookrefugefirstinanopencar。Thisprovedveryunsatisfactory，owingtohersuddenprominence。Twopersistentnewspapermenswungthemselvesuponthecaralsoandinsistedonaddressingher。

"Excuseme，gentlemen，"shesaid，"Iamnotacquaintedwithyou。"

Theyeagerlyproducedtheircards——andsaidtheywere"newspapermen。"

"Isee，"saidDiantha，"Butyouarestillmen？Andgentlemen，I

suppose？Iamawoman，andIdonotwishtotalkwithyou。"

"MissBellDeclinestoBeInterviewed，"wrotethereporters，andspentthemselvesonherpersonalappearance，beingfavorablyimpressedthereby。

ButMissBellgotoffatthenextcornerandtookashortcuttothehousewhereshehadrentedaroom。Reporterswerewaitingthere，twobeingwomen。

Dianthapolitelybutfirmlydeclinedtoseethemandstartedforthestairs;buttheymerelystoodinfrontofherandaskedquestions。Thegirl’sbloodsurgedtohercheeks;shesmiledgrimly，keptabsolutesilence，brushedthroughthemandwentswiftlytoherroom，lockingthedoorafterher。

Thereportersdescribedherappearance——unfavorablythistime;andtheydescribedthehouse——alsounfavorably。Theysaidthat"Agroupofadoring—eyedyoungmenstoodaboutthedoorwayastheflushedheroineoftheafternoonmadeherbrusqueentrance。"Theseadorersconsistedofthelandlady’sJohnny，agedthirteen，andtwosatellitesofhis，stillyounger。They_did_lookatDianthaadmiringly;andshe_was_alittlehurriedinherentrance——truthmustbemaintained。

Tooirritatedandtiredtogooutfordinner，sheateanorangeortwo，laydownawhile，andtheneasedhermindbywritingalonglettertoRossandtellinghimallaboutit。Thatis，shetoldhimmostofit，allthepleasantthings，allthefunnythings;leavingoutaboutthereporters，becauseshewastooangrytobejust，shetoldherself。Shewroteandwrote，becomingpeacefulasthequietmomentspassed，andasensegrewuponherofthestrong，lastinglovethatwaswaitingsopatiently。

"Dearest，"herswiftpenflewalong，"Ireallyfeelmuchencouraged。Animpressionhasbeenmade。Oneortwomenspoketomeafterward;theyoungminister，whosaidsuchnicethings;andoneolderman，wholookedprosperousandreliable。’Whenyoubeginanysuchbusinessasyouhaveoutlined，youmaycountonme，MissBell，’hesaid，andgavemehiscard。He’salawyer——P。L。Wiscomb;niceman，Ishouldthink。Anotherbig，sheepish—lookingmansaid，’Andme，MissBell。’HisnameisThaddler;hiswifeisverydisagreeable。Someofthewomenarefavorablyimpressed，buttheold—fashionedkind——my！’Ifhatekilledmen，BrotherLawrence！’——butitdon’t。"

Shewroteherselfintoagoodhumor，anddweltatconsiderablelengthonthepleasantepisodeoftheministerandyoungMrs。Weatherstone’sremarks。"Ilikedher，"shewrote。"She’sanicewoman——evenifsheisrich。"

Therewasaknockatherdoor。"Ladytoseeyou，Miss。"

"Icannotseeanyone，"saidDiantha;"youmustexcuseme。"

"Begpardon，Miss，butit’snotareporter;it’s——。"Thelandladystretchedherleanneckaroundthedooredgeandwhisperedhoarsely，"It’syoungMrs。Weatherstone！"

Diantharosetoherfeet，alittlebewildered。"I’llberightdown，"

shesaid。Butavoicebrokeinfromthehall，"Ibegyourpardon，MissBell，butItookthelibertyofcomingup;mayIcomein？"

Shecamein，andthelandladyperforcewentout。Mrs。WeatherstoneheldDiantha’shandwarmly，andlookedintohereyes。"IwasaschoolmateofEllenPorne，"shetoldthegirl。"Wearedearfriendsstill;andsoI

feelthatIknowyoubetterthanyouthink。YouhavedonebeautifulworkforMrs。Porne;nowIwantyoutodotoitforme。Ineedyou。"

"Won’tyousitdown？"saidDiantha。

"You，too，"saidMrs。Weatherstone。"NowIwantyoutocometome——rightaway。Youhavedonemesomuchgoodalready。IwasjustaNewEnglandbredschoolteachermyselfatfirst，sowe’reeventhatfar。

Thenyoutookastepup——andItookastepdown。"

Dianthawasalittleslowinunderstandingthequickfervorofthisnewfriend;atriflesuspicious，even;beingacautioussoul，andsomewhatoverstrung，perhaps。Hervisitor，bright—eyedandeager，wenton。"I

gaveupschoolteachingandmarriedafortune。Youhavegivenituptodoamoreneededwork。Ithinkyouarewonderful。Now，Iknowthisseemsqueertoyou，butIwanttotellyouaboutit。Ifeelsureyou’llunderstand。Athome，MadamWeatherstonehashadeverythinginchargeforyearsandyears，andI’vebeentoolazyortooweak，ortooindifferent，todoanything。Ididn’tcare，somehow。Allthemachineryofliving，andno_living_——nogoodofitall！Yettheredidn’tseemtobeanythingelsetodo。Nowyouhavewakedmeallup——yourpaperthisafternoon——whatMr。Eltwoodsaid——thewaythosepoor，dull，blindwomentookit。AndyetIwasjustasdullandblindmyself！Well，Ibegintoseethingsnow。Ican’ttellyouallatoncewhatadifferenceithasmade;butIhaveaverydefinitepropositiontomaketoyou。Willyoucomeandbemyhousekeeper，now——rightaway——atahundreddollarsamonth？"

Dianthaopenedhereyeswideandlookedattheeagerladyasifshesuspectedhernervousbalance。

"Theotheronegotathousandayear——youareworthmore。Now，don’tdecline，please。Letmetellyouaboutit。Icanseethatyouhaveplansahead，forthisbusiness;butitcan’thurtyoumuchtoputthemoffsixmonths，say。Meantime，youcouldbepracticing。OurplaceatSantaUlricaisalmostasbigasthisone;therearelotsofservantsandagreat，wearymazeofaccountstobekept，anditwouldn’tbebadpracticeforyou——now，wouldit？"

Diantha’stroubledeyeslitup。"No——youarerightthere，"shesaid。

"IfIcoulddoit！"

"You’llhavetodojustthatsortofthingwhenyouarerunningyourbusiness，won’tyou？"hervisitorwenton。"Andthesummer’snotagoodtimetostartathinglikethat，isit？"

Dianthameditated。"No，Iwasn’tgoingto。Iwasgoingtostartsomewhere——takeacottage，adozengirlsorso——andfurnishlaborbythedaytotheothercottages。"

"Well，youmightbeabletorunthatontheside，"saidMrs。

Weatherstone。"Andyoucouldtrainmygirls，getinnewonesifyoulike;itdoesn’tseemtomeitwouldconflict。Buttospeaktoyouquitefrankly，MissBell，Iwantyouinthehouseformyownsake。Youdomegood。"

Theydiscussedthematterforsometime，Dianthaobjectingmainlytothesuddennessofitall。"I’maslowthinker，"shesaid，"andthisisso——soattractivethatI’msuspiciousofit。Ihadtheotherthingallplanned——thegirlspracticallyengaged。"

"Wherewereyouthinkingofgoing？"askedMrs。Weatherstone。

"ToSantaUlrica。"

"Exactly！Well，youshallhaveyourcottageandourgirlsandgivethemparttime。Or——howmanyhaveyouarrangedwith？"

"Onlysixhavemadedefiniteengagementsyet。"

"Whatkind？"

"Twolaundresses，acookandthreesecondmaids;allgoodones。"

"Excellent！Now，Itellyouwhattodo。Iwillengageallthosegirls。

I’mmakingachangeatthehouse，forvariousreasons。Youbringthemtomeassoonasyoulike;butyouIwantatonce。Iwishyou’dcomehomewithmeto—night！Whydon’tyou？"

Diantha’sscantybaggagewasallinsight。Shelookedaroundforanexcuse。Mrs。Weatherstonestooduplaughing。

"Putthenewaddressintheletter，"shesaid，mischievously，"andcomealong！"

*

Andthepurplechauffeur，hisdisapprovingbackineffectualinthedarkness，rolledthemhome。

WHATDIANTHADID

CHAPTERIX。

"SLEEPINGIN。"

Menhavemarchedinarmies，fleetshavebornethem，Lefttheirhomesnewcountriestosubdue;

Youngmenseekingfortunewidehavewandered——

Wehavesomethingnew。

Armiesofyoungmaidenscrossouroceans;

Leavetheirmother’slove，theirfather’scare;

Maidens，youngandhelpless，widelywander，Burdensnewtobear。

Strangethelandandlanguage，lawsandcustoms;

Ignorantandallalonetheycome;

Maidensyoungandhelpless，servingstrangers，ThuswekeeptheHome。

WhenonearthwassafetyforyoungmaidensFarfrommother’sloveandfather’scare？

WepreserveTheHome，andcallitsacred——

Burdensnewtheybear。

ThesunhadgonedownonMadamWeatherstone’swrath，andrisentofinditunabated。Withcondenseddisapprobationwrittenoneverywell—cutfeature，shecametothecoldlygleamingbreakfasttable。

ThatMrs。Halseywasundoubtedlygone，shehadtoadmit;yetsofarfailedtofindtheexactwordsofreproofforawomanofindependentmeansdischargingherownhousekeeperwhenitpleasedher。

YoungMathewunexpectedlyappearedatbreakfast，perhapsinanticipationofasortofRomanholidayinwhichhisusuallylateandapologeticstepmotherwouldfurnishtheamusement。Theywerebothsurprisedtofindhertherebeforethem，lookinguncommonlyfreshincrisp，sheerwhite，withdeep—tonedvioletsinherbelt。

Sheatewitheveryappearanceofenjoyment，chattingamiablyaboutthelovelymorning——theflowers，thegardenandthegardeners;hereffortsillseconded，however。

"ShallIattendtotheordersthismorning？"askedMadamWeatherstonewithanairofnoblepatience。

"Ono，thankyou！"repliedViva。"Ihaveengagedanewhousekeeper。"

"Anewhousekeeper！When？"Theoldladywasshakenbythisinconceivablepromptness。

"Lastnight，"saidherdaughter—in—law，lookingcalmlyacrossthetable，hercolorrisingalittle。

"Andwhenisshecoming，ifImayask？"

"Shehascome。Ihavebeenwithheranhouralreadythismorning。"

YoungMathewsmiled。Thiswasamusing，thoughnotwhathehadexpected。

"Howextremelyalertandbusinesslike！"hesaidlazily。"It’sbecomingtoyou——togetupearly！"

"Youcan’thavegotmuchofaperson——ataminute’snotice，"saidhisgrandmother。"Orperhapsyouhavebeenplanningthisforsometime？"

"No，"saidViva。"IhavewantedtogetridofMrs。Halseyforsometime，butthenewoneIfoundyesterday。"

"What’shername？"inquiredMathew。

"Bell——MissDianthaBell，"sheanswered，lookingascalmasifannouncingthedayoftheweek，butinwardlydreadingtheresultsomewhat。Likemostofsuchterrorsitwasoverestimated。

Therewasalittlepause——ratheranintenselittlepause;andthen——"Isn’tthatthegirlwhoset’emallbytheearsyesterday？"askedtheyoungman，pointingtothemorningpaper。"Theysayshe’sagood—looker。"

MadamWeatherstonerosefromthetableinsomeagitation。"ImustsayI

amverysorry，Viva，thatyoushouldhavebeenso——precipitate！Thisyoungwomancannotbecompetenttomanageahouselikethis——tosaynothingofherscandalousideas。Mrs。Halseywas——tomymind——perfectlysatisfactory。Ishallmissherverymuch。"Shesweptoutwithanunanswerableair。

"SoshallI，"mutteredMat，underhisbreath，ashestrolledafterher;

"unlessthenewone’sequallyamiable。"

VivaWeatherstonewatchedthemgo，andstoodawhilelookingafterthewell—built，well—dressed，well—manneredbutfarfromwell—behavedyoungman。

"Idon’t_know_，"shesaidtoherself，"butIdofeel——think——imagine——agooddeal。I’msureIhopenot！Anyway——it’snewlifetohavethatgirlinthehouse。"

ThatgirlhadundertakenwhatshedescribedtoRossas"alargeorder——averylargeorder。"

"It’sthehardestthingIeverundertook，"shewrotehim，"butIthinkI

candoit;anditwillbeatremendoushelp。Mrs。Weatherstone’sabrick——aperfectbrick！Sheseemstohavebeenveryunhappy——foreversolong——andtohavesubmittedtoherdomineeringoldmother—in—lawjustbecauseshedidn’tcareenoughtoresist。Nowshe’sgotwakedupallofasudden——shesaysitwasmypaperattheclub——morelikelymyawfulexample，Ithink！andshefiredheroldhousekeeper——Idon’tknowwhatfor——andrushedmein。

"SohereIam。Thesalaryisgood，theworkisexcellenttraining，andIguessIcanholdtheplace。Buttheoldladyisaterror，andtheyoungman——howyouwoulddespisethatJohnny！"

Thehomelettersshenowreceivedwereratheramusing。Ross，sternlypatient，sawlittledifferenceinherposition。"Ihopeyouwillenjoyyournewwork，"hewrote，"butpersonallyIshouldpreferthatyoudidnot——soyoumightgiveitupandcomehomesooner。Imissyouasyoucanwellimagine。Evenwhenyouwereherelifewashardenough——butnow！——

"Ihadahalfofferforthestoretheotherday，butitfellthrough。

IfIcouldsellthatincubusandputthemoneyintoaranch——fruit，hens，anything——thenwecouldallliveonit;morecheaply，Ithink;andIcouldfindtimeforsomeresearchworkIhaveinmind。Yourememberthatguinea—pigexperimentIwantsototry？"

Diantharememberedandsmiledsadly。Shewasnotmuchinterestedinguinea—pigsandtheirpotentialcapacities，butshewasinterestedinherloverandhishappiness。"Ranch，"shesaidthoughtfully;"that’snotabadidea。"

Hermotherwrotethesamepatientlovingletters，perfunctorilyhopeful。

Herfatherwrotenone——"Awoman’sbusiness——thisletter—writin’，"healwaysheld;andGeorge，afteronescornfulupbraiding，had"washedhishandsofher"withsomesenseofrelief。Hedidn’tliketowriteletterseither。

ButSusiekeptupalivelycorrespondence。Shewasattachedtohersister，astoallherimmediaterelativesandsurroundings;andwhilesheutterlydisapprovedofDiantha’sundertaking，asenseofsisterlyduty，tosaynothingofaffection，promptedhertomanyletters。Itdidnot，however，alwaysmaketheseagreeablereading。

"Mother’sprettywell，andthegirlshe’sgotnowdoesnicely——thatfirstoneturnedouttobeafailure。Father’sascrankyasever。Weareallwellhereandthebaby（thiswasabrandnewbabyDianthahadnotseen）isjustaDarling！Yououghttobehere，youunnaturalAunt！

Geralddoesn’teverspeakofyou——butIdojustthesame。YouhearfromtheWardens，ofcourse。Mrs。Warden’sgotneuralgiaorsomething;keepsthemallbusy。Theyaremuchexcitedoverthisnewplaceofyours——yououghttohearthemgoon！ItappearsthatMadamWeatherstoneisaconnectionoftheirs——oneoftheF。F。V’s，Iguess，andtheythinkshe’ssomethingwonderful。Andtohave_you_working_there！_——well，youcanjustseehowthey’dfeel;andIdon’tblamethem。It’snousearguingwithyou——butIshouldthinkyou’dhaveenoughofthisdisgracefulfoolishnessbythistimeandcomehome！"

Dianthatriedtobeveryphilosophicoverherhomeletters;buttheywerefarfromstimulating。"It’snousearguingwithpoorSusie！"shedecided。"Susiethinksthesunrisesandsetsbetweenkitchen，nurseryandparlor！

"Mothercan’tseethegoodofityet，butshewilllater——Mother’sallright。

"I’mawfullysorrytheWardensfeelso——andmakeRossunhappy——butofcourseIknewtheywould。Itcan’tbehelped。It’sjustaquestionoftimeandwork。"

Andshewenttowork。

*

Mrs。Pornecalledonherfriendmostpromptly，withanaturaleagernessandcuriosity。

"Howdoesitwork？Doyoulikeherasmuchasyouthought？Dotellmeaboutit，Viva。Youlooklikeanotherwomanalready！"

"Icertainlyfeellikeone，"Vivaanswered。"I’veseenslavesinhousework，andI’veseenwhatwefondlycall’Queens’inhousework;butIneversawbrainsinitbefore。"

Mrs。Pornesighed。"Isn’titjustwonderful——thewayshedoesthings！

Dearme！Wedomissher！ShetrainedthatSwedeforus——andshedoesprettywell——butnotlike’MissBell’！Iwishtherewereahundredofher！"

"Iftherewereahundredthousandshewouldn’tgoround！"answeredMrs。

Weatherstone。"Howselfishweare！_That_isthekindofwomanweallwantinourhomes——andfussbecausewecan’thavethem。"

"Edgarsayshequiteagreeswithherviews，"Mrs。Pornewenton。

"Skilledlaborbytheday——foodsentin——。Hesaysifshecookedithewouldn’tcareifitcameallthewayfromAlaska！Shecertainlycancook！Iwishshe’dsetupherbusiness——thesoonerthebetter。"

Mrs。Weatherstonenoddedherheadfirmly。"Shewill。She’splanning。

Thiswasreallyaninterruption——hercominghere，butIthinkitwillbeahelp——she’snothadexperienceinlargemanagementbefore，butshetakesholdsplendidly。She’sfoundadozen’leaks’inourhouseholdalready。"

"Mrs。Thaddler’ssimplyfurious，Ihear，"saidthevisitor。"Mrs。Reewasinthismorningandtoldmeallaboutit。PoorMrs。Ree！Thehomeischurchandstatetoher;thatpaperofMissBell’ssheregardsassimpleblasphemy。"

Theybothlaughedasthatstormymeetingrosebeforethem。

"Iwassoproudofyou，Viva，standingupforherasyoudid。Howdidyoueverdare？"

"WhyIgotmycouragefromthegirlherself。Shewas——superb！Talkofblasphemy！WhyI’vecommitted_lesemajeste_andregicideandtheUnpardonableSinsincethatmeeting！"AndshetoldherfriendofherbriefpassageatarmswithMrs。Halsey。"Ineverlikedthewoman，"shecontinued;"andsomeofthethingsMissBellsaidsetmethinking。I

don’tbelievewehalfknowwhat’sgoingoninourhouses。"

"Well，Mrs。Thaddler’ssooutragedby’thisscandalousattackuponthesanctitiesofthehome’thatshe’sgoingaboutsayingallsortsofthingsaboutMissBell。Olook——Idobelievethat’shercar！"

Evenastheyspokeatonelessvoiceannounced，"Mr。andMrs。Thaddler，"

andMadamWeatherstonepresentlyappearedtogreetthesevisitors。

"Ithinkyouaretryingadangerousexperiment！"saidMrs。Thaddlertoheryounghostess。"Averydangerousexperiment！Bringingthatyoungiconoclastintoyourhome！"

Mr。Thaddler，stoutandsulky，satasfarawayashecouldandtalkedtoMrs。Porne。"I’dliketotrythatsameexperimentmyself，"saidhetoher。"Youtrieditsometime，Iunderstand？"

"Indeedwedid——andwouldstillifwehadthechance，"shereplied。"Wethinkheraveryexceptionalyoungwoman。"

Mr。Thaddlerchuckled。"Sheisthat！"heagreed。"Gad！Howshedidsetthingshumming！They’rehummingyet——atourhouse！"

Heglancedratherrancorouslyathiswife，andMrs。Pornewished，assheoftenhadbefore，thatMr。Thaddlerworemoreclothingoverhisdomesticafflictions。

"Scandalous！"Mrs。ThaddlerwassayingtoMadamWeatherstone。"Simplyscandalous！NeverinmylifedidIhearsuchabsurd——suchoutrageous——chargesagainstthesanctitiesofthehome！"

"Thereyouhaveit！"saidMr。Thaddler，underhisbreath。"Sanctityofthefiddlesticks！Therewasalotoftruthinwhatthatgirlsaid！"

Thenhelookedrathersheepishandflushedalittle——whichwasneedless;

easinghiscollarwithafatfinger。

MadamWeatherstoneandMrs。Thaddlerwereatoneonthissubject;butfoundithardtoagreeevenso，nolovebeinglostbetweenthem;andtheformergaveevidenceofmoresatisfactionthandistressatthis"dangerousexperiment"inthehouseofherfriends。Vivasatsilent，butwithalookofwatchfulintelligencethatdelightedMrs。Porne。

"Ithasdonehergoodalready，"shesaidtoherself。"Blessthatgirl！"

Mr。Thaddlerwenthomedisappointedintherealobjectofhiscall——hehadhopedtoseetheDangerousExperimentagain。Buthiswifewaswellpleased。

"Theywillrueit！"sheannounced。"MadamWeatherstoneisashamedofherdaughter—in—law——Icanseethat！_She_lookscoolenough。Idon’tknowwhat’sgotintoher！"

"Someofthatyoungwoman’sgoodcooking，"herhusbandsuggested。

"Thatyoungwomanisnotthereascook！"sherepliedtartly。"Whatshe_is_thereforweshallseelater！Markmywords！"

Mr。Thaddlerchuckledsoftly。"I’llmark’em！"hesaid。

Dianthahadherhandsfull。Needlesstosayhersuddenentrancewasresentedbythecorpsofservantsaccustomedtotheoldregime。Shehadthekeys;sheexplored，studied，inventoried，examinedtheaccounts，workedoutcarefultablesandestimates。"IwishMotherwerehere！"shesaidtoherself。"She’saregulargeniusforaccounts。I_can_doit——butit’snojoke。"

Shebroughttheresultstoheremployerattheendoftheweek。"Thisistentative，"shesaid，"andI’veallowedmarginsbecauseI’mnewtoabusinessofthissize。Buthere’swhatthishouseoughttocostyou——attheoutside，andhere’swhatitdoescostyounow。"

Mrs。Weatherstonewasimpressed。"Aren’tyoualittle——spectacular？"

shesuggested。

Dianthawentoveritcarefully;thenumberofrooms，thenumberofservants，thehoursoflabor，theamountoffoodandothersuppliesrequired。

"Thisisonlypreparatory，ofcourse，"shesaid。"I’llhavetocheckitoffeachmonth。IfImaydotheorderingandkeepalltheaccountsI

canshowyouexactlyinamonth，ortwoatmost。"

"Howabouttheservants？"askedMrs。Weatherstone。

Therewasmuchtosayhere，questionsofcompetence，ofimpertinence，ofpersonalexcellencewith"incompatibilityoftemper。"Dianthawasgivenafreehand，withfulllibertytoexperiment，andmettheopportunitywithherusualenergy。

Shesoondischargedtheunsatisfactoryones，andsubstitutedthegirlsshehadselectedforhersummer’sexperiment，graduallyaddingothers，tillthehouseholdwasfairlyharmonious，andfarmoreefficientandeconomical。Afewchangesweremadeamongthemenalso。

BythetimethefamilymoveddowntoSantaUlrica，therewasquiteanewspiritinthehousehold。Mrs。WeatherstonefullyapprovedoftheGirls’

ClubDianthahadstartedatMrs。Porne’s;anditwentonmerrilyinthelargerquartersofthegreat"cottage"onthecliff。

"I’mverygladIcametoyou，Mrs。Weatherstone，"saidthegirl。"Youwerequiterightabouttheexperience;Ididneedit——andI’mgettingit！"

Shewasgettingsomeofwhichshemadenomention。

Asshewonandheldtheconfidenceofhersubordinates，andthegrowinglistofclubmembers，shelearnedtheirpersonalstories;whathadbefallentheminotherfamilies，andwhattheylikedanddislikedintheirpresentplaces。

"Themenarenotsobad，"explainedCatharineKelly，ataclubmeeting，meaningthemenservants;"theyrespectanhonestgirlifsherespectsherself;butit’stheyoungmasters——andsometimestheoldones！"

"It’sallnonsense，"protestedMrs。James，widowedcookoflongstanding。"I’veworkedoutfortwenty—fiveyears，andInevermetnosuchgoingson！"

LittleIldalookedatMrs。James’severefaceandgiggled。

"I’veheardofit，"saidMollyConnors，"I’veacousinthat’sworkin’inNewYork;andshe’shadtoleavetwogoodplacesonaccountoftheirmisbehavin’theirselves。She’safinegirl，buttoogood—lookin’。"

Dianthastudiedtypes，questionedthem，drewthemout，adjustedfactstotheoriesandtheoriestofacts。Shefoundtheweaknessofthewholepositiontolieintheutterignoranceandhelplessnessoftheindividualservant。"Iftheywereonlyorganized，"shethought——"andknewtheirownpower！——Well;there’splentyoftime。"

Asheracquaintanceincreased，andasMrs。Weatherstone’sinterestinherplansincreasedalso，shestartedthesmallsummerexperimentshehadplanned，forfurnishinglaborbytheday。Mrs。Jameswasanexcellentcook，thoughmostunpleasanttoworkwith。Shewasquiteabletoseethatgettingupfrequentlunchesatthreedollars，anddinnersatfivedollars，madeabetterincomethantendollarsaweekevenwithseveraldaysunoccupied。

Agroupofyoungerwomen，underDiantha’ssympatheticencouragement，agreedtotakeasmallcottagetogether，withMrs。Jamesasaspeciesofchaperone;andtogooutintwosandthreesaschambermaidsandwaitressesat25centsanhour。Twoofthemcouldsetinperfectorderoneofthesmallbeachcottageinanhour’stime;andtheoccupants，alreadycrowdedforroom，werequitewillingtopayalittlemoreincash"nottohaveaservantaround。"Mostofthemtooktheirmealsoutinanycase。

Itwasamodestattempt，elasticandeasilyalterableandbasedonthespecialconditionsofashoreresort：Mrs。Weatherstone’sknowninterestgaveitsocialbacking;andmanyladieswhoheartilydisapprovedofDiantha’stheoriesfoundthemselvesquitewillingtoprofitbythisverypracticallocalsolutionofthe"servantquestion。"

The"clubgirls"becameverypopular。Acrossthedeephotsandtheyploughed，andclatteredalongthewarpingboardwalks，inmerrypairsandgroups，findingtheworkfarmorevariedandamusingthantheendlessrepetitioninonehousehold。Theyhadpleasanteveningstoo，withplentyofcallers，albeitsomewhatcheckedandchilledbyrigorousMrs。

James。

"Itisbothfoolishandwicked！"saidMadamWeatherstonetoherdaughter—in—law，"Exposingagroupofsillygirlstosuchdangerandtemptations！Iunderstandthereissingingandlaughinggoingonatthathouseuntilhalf—pasttenatnight。"

"Yes，thereis，"Vivaadmitted。"Mrs。Jamesinsiststhattheyshallallbeinbedateleven——whichisverywise。I’mgladtheyhavegoodtimes——there’ssafetyinnumbers，youknow。"

"Therewillbeascandalinthiscommunitybeforelong！"saidtheoldladysolemnly。"Anditgrievesmetothinkthatthishouseholdwillberesponsibleforit！"

DianthaheardallthisfromthelinenroomwhileMadamWeatherstonebuttonholedherdaughter—in—lawinthehall;andintruththeoldladymeantthatsheshouldhearwhatshesaid。

"She’sright，I’mafraid！"saidDianthatoherself——"therewillbeascandalifI’mnotmightycarefulandthishouseholdwillberesponsibleforit！"

EvenasshespokeshecaughtIlda’schildishgiggleinthelowerhall，andlookingovertherailingsawherairilydustingthebigChinesevasesandcoquettingwithyoungMr。Mathew。

Lateron，Dianthatriedseriouslytorouseherconscienceandhercommonsense。"Don’tyousee，child，thatitcan’tdoyouanythingbutharm？

Youcan’tcarryonwithamanlikethatasyoucanwithoneofyourownfriends。Heisnottobetrusted。OnenicegirlIhadheresimplylefttheplace——heannoyedherso。"

Ildawasalittlesulky。ShehadbeenquiteaqueeninthesmallNorwegianvillageshewasbornin。Youngmenwereyoungmen——andtheymighteven——perhaps！Thissevereyounghousekeeperdidn’tknoweverything。Maybeshewasjealous！

SoIldawasratherunconvinced，thoughapparentlysubmissive，andDianthakeptacarefuleyeuponher。ShesawtoitthatIlda’sroomhadaboltaswellaskeyinthedoor，andkepttheroomnexttoitempty;

frequentlyusingitherself，unknowntoanyone。"Ihatetoturnthechildoff，"shesaidtoherself，conscientiouslyrevolvingthematter。

"Sheisn’tdoingathingmorethanmostgirlsdo——she’sonlyalittlefool。Andhe’snotdoinganythingIcancomplainof——yet。"

Butsheworriedoveritagooddeal，andMrs。Weatherstonenoticedit。

"Doesn’tyourpetclubhousegowell，’MissBell？’Youseemtroubledaboutsomething。"

"Iam，"Dianthaadmitted。"IbelieveI’llhavetotellyouaboutit——butIhateto。Perhapsifyou’llcomeandlookIshan’thavetosaymuch。"

Sheledhertoawindowthatlookedonthegarden，therich，vivid，flower—crowdedgardenofSouthernCaliforniabythesea。LittleIlda，inafreshblackfrockandsnowy，frillycapandapron，ranouttogetarose;andwhileshesniffedanddalliedtheysawMr。Mathewsaunteroutandjoinher。

Thegirlwasnotasseverewithhimassheoughttohavebeen——thatwasevident;butitwasalsoevidentthatshewasfrightenedandfuriouswhenhesuddenlyheldherfastandkissedherwithmuchsatisfaction。

Assoonasherarmswerefreeshegavehimaslapthatsoundedsmartlyevenatthatdistance;andrancryingintothehouse。

"She’sfoolish，Iadmit，"saidDiantha，——"butshedoesn’trealizeherdangeratall。I’vetriedtomakeher。AndnowI’mmoreworriedthanever。Itseemsratherhardtodischargeher——sheneedscare。"

"I’llspeaktothatyoungmanmyself，"saidMrs。Weatherstone。"I’llspeaktohisgrandmothertoo！"

"O——wouldyou？"urgedDiantha。"Shewouldn’tbelieveanythingexceptthatthegirl’ledhimon’——youknowthat。ButIhaveanideathatwecouldconvinceher——ifyou’rewillingtodosomethingrathermelodramatic——andIthinkwe’dbetterdoitto—night！"

"What’sthat？"askedheremployer;andDianthaexplained。Itwasmelodramatic，butpromisedtobeextremelyconvincing。

"Doyouthinkhe’ddare！undermyroof？"hotlydemandedMadamWeatherstone。

"I’mverymuchafraiditwouldn’tbethefirsttime，"Dianthareluctantlyassuredher。"It’snousebeinghorrified。Butifwecouldonlymake_sure_——"

"Ifwecouldonlymakehisgrandmothersure！"criedMadamWeatherstone。

"Thatwouldsavemeadealoftroubleandmisunderstanding。Seehere——I

thinkIcanmanageit——whatmakesyouthinkit’sto—night？"

"Ican’tbeabsolutelycertain——"Dianthaexplained;andtoldherthereasonsshehad。

"Itdoeslookso，"heremployeradmitted。"We’lltryitatanyrate。"

Urginghermother—in—law’spresenceonthegroundofneedingherexperiencedadvice，Mrs。WeatherstonebroughttheaugustladytotheroomnexttoIlda’slatethatevening，thehousekeeperinattendance。

"Wemustn’twaketheservants，"shesaidinanelaboratewhisper。"Theyneedsleep，poorthings！ButIwanttoconsultyouaboutthesecommunicatingdoorsandthelocksmithiscominginthemorning。——youseethisopensfromthisside。"Sheturnedtheoiledkeysoftlyinthelock。"NowMissBellthinkstheyoughttobeleftso——sothatthegirlscanvisitoneanotheriftheylike——whatdoyouthink？"

"Ithinkyouareabsurdtobringmetothetopfloor，atthistimeofnight，forathinglikethis！"saidtheoldlady。"Theyshouldbepermanentlylocked，tomymind！There’snoquestionaboutit。"

Viva，stillinlowtones，discussedthispointfurther;introducedthesubjectofwall—paperorhardfinish;pointedoutfromthewindowatalleucalyptuswhichshethoughtneededheading;didwhatshecouldtokeephermother—in—lawonthespot;andpresentlyhereffortswererewarded。

Asoundofmuffledspeechcamefromthenextroom——aman’svoicedimlyheard。MadamWeatherstoneraisedherheadlikeawarhorse。

"What’sthis！What’sthis！"shesaidinafiercewhisper。

Vivalaidahandonherarm。"Sh！"saidshe。"Letusmakesure！"andshesoftlyunlatchedthedoor。

Abrilliantmoonfloodedthesmallchamber。TheycouldseelittleIlda，huddledinthebedclothes，staringatherdoorfromwhichthekeyhadfallen。Anotherkeywasbeinginserted——turned——buttheboltheld。

"Comeandopenit，younglady！"saidacarefulvoiceoutside。

"Goaway！Goaway！"beggedthegirl，lowandbreathlessly。"Ohhow_can_you！Goawayquick！"

"Indeed，Iwon’t！"saidthevoice。"Youcomeandopenit。"

"Goaway，"shecried，inasoftbutfranticvoice。"I——I’llscream！"

"Screamaway！"heanswered。"I’lljustsayIcameuptoseewhatthescreaming’sabout，that’sall。Youopenthedoor——ifyoudon’twantanybodytoknowI’mhere！Iwon’thurtyouany——Ijustwanttotalktoyouaminute。"

MadamWeatherstonewasspeechlesswithhorror，herdaughter—in—lawlistenedwithsetlips。Dianthalookedfromonetotheother，andatthefrightenedchildbeforethemwhowasnowclosetotheterribledoor。

"Oplease！——_please！_goaway！"shecriedindesperation。"OwhatshallIdo！WhatshallIdo！"

"Youcan’tdoanything，"heansweredcheerfully。"AndI’mcominginanyhow。You’dbetterkeepstillaboutthisforyourownsake。Standfromunder！"MadamWeatherstonemarchedintotheroom。Ilda，withalittlecry，fledoutofittoDiantha。

Therewasajump，ascramble，twoknucklyhandsappeared，alonglegwasputthroughthetransom，twolegswildlywriggling，adescendingbody，andtherestoodbeforethem，flushed，dishevelled，hiscoatuptohisears——MatWeatherstone。

Hedidnotnoticethesternrigidityofthefigurewhichstoodbetweenhimandthemoonlight，butclaspeditwarmlytohisheart。——"NowI’vegotyou，Ducky！"criedhe，pressingalltooaffectionatekissesuponthefaceofhisgrandmother。

YoungMrs。Weatherstoneturnedonthelight。

Itwasanembarrassingpositionforthegentleman。

Hehadexpectedtofindahelplesscoweringgirl;afraidtocryoutbecausehercasewouldbelostifshedid;beggingpiteouslythathewouldleaveher;whollyathismercy。

Whathedidfindwassoinexplicableastoreducehimtogibberingastonishment。Therestoodhisimposinggrandmother，sooverwhelmedwithamazementthathertrenchantsentencesfailedhercompletely;hisstepmother，wearinganexpressionthatalmostsuggesteddelightinhisdiscomfiture;andDiantha，asgrimasRhadamanthus。

PoorlittleIldaburstintowildsobsandchokingexplanations，clingingtoDiantha’shand。"IfI’donlylistenedtoyou！"shesaid。"Youtoldmehewasbad！Ineverthoughthe’ddosuchanawfulthing！"

YoungMathewfumbledatthedoor。Hehadlockeditoutsideinhiseffortswiththepass—key。Hewasred，redtohisears——veryred，buttherewasnoescape。Hefacedthem——therewasnogoodinfacingthedoor。

Theyallstoodasideandlethimpass——awordlessgauntlet。

DianthatooktheweepingIldatoherroomforthenight。MadamWeatherstoneandMrs。Weatherstonewentdowntogether。

"Shemusthaveencouragedhim！"theolderladyfinallyburstforth。

"Shedidnotencouragehimtoenterherroom，asyousawandheard，"

saidVivawithrepressedintensity。

"He’sonlyaboy！"saidhisgrandmother。

"Sheisonlyachild，ahelplesschild，aforeigner，awayfromhome，untaught，unprotected，"Vivaansweredswiftly;addingwithquietsarcasm——"Savefortheshelterofthehome！"

Theypartedinsilence。

WHATDIANTHADID

CHAPTERX

UNIONHOUSE。

"Weareweak！"saidtheSticks，andmenbrokethem;

"Weareweak！"saidtheThreads，andweretorn;

Tillnewthoughtscameandtheyspokethem;

TilltheFagotandtheRopewereborn。

FortheFagotmenfindisresistant，AndtheyanchorontheRope’stautlength;

Evengrasshopperscombined，Areaforce，thefarmersfind——

Inunionthereisstrength。

RossWardenenduredhisgrocerybusiness;strovewithit，toiledatit，concentratedhisscientificmindonalientasksoffinancialcalculationandpracticalpsychology，buthelikeditnobetter。Hehadnointerestinbusiness，nodesiretomakemoney，noskillinsalesmanship。

Buttherewerefivemouthsathome;sweetaffectionatefemininemouthsnodoubt，butrequiringfood。Alsotwointhekitchen，wider，andrequiringmorefood。Andtherewerefivebacksathometobecovered，tousetheabsurdmetaphor——asifalloneneededforclothingwasafourfootpatch。TheamountandqualityofthecoveringwasanunceasingsurprisetoRoss，andhedidnotdojusticetothefactthathiswomenfolkreallysavedagooddealbydoingtheirownsewing。

Inhishearthelongedalwaystobefreeofthewholehatedloadoftradesmanship。Continuallyhisthoughtswentbacktothehopeofsellingoutthebusinessandbuyingaranch。

"Icouldmakeitkeepus，anyhow，"hewouldplantohimself;"andI

couldgetatthatguineapigidea。Ormaybehenswoulddo。"Hehadatheoryofhisown，orapersonaltestofhisown，rather，whichhewishedtoapplytoawellknowntheory。Itwouldtakesomeyearstoworkitout，andagreatmanyfinepigs，andbeofnopossiblevaluefinancially。"I’lldoitsometime，"healwaysconcluded;whichwascoldcomfort。

Hisrealgriefatlosingthecompanionshipofthegirlheloved，wasmademorebitterbyatotallackofsympathywithheraims，evenifsheachievedthem——inwhichhehadnoconfidence。Hehadnopowertochangehiscourse，andtriednottobeunpleasantaboutit，buthehadtoexpresshisfeelingsnowandthen。

"Areyoucomingbacktome？"hewrote。"Howconyoubeartogivesomuchpaintoeveryonewholovesyou？Isyourwonderfulsalaryworthmoretoyouthanbeingherewithyourmother——withme？Howcanyousayyouloveme——andruinbothourliveslikethis？Icannotcometoseeyou——I_would_notcometoseeyou——callingatthebackdoor！FindingthegirlIloveinacapandapron！Canyounotseeitiswrong，utterlywrong，allthismadescapadeofyours？Supposeyoudomakeathousanddollarsayear——Ishallnevertouchyourmoney——youknowthat。

Icannotevenofferyouahome，exceptwithmyfamily，andIknowhowyoufeelaboutthat;Idonotblameyou。

"ButIamasstubbornasyouare，deargirl;Iwillnotliveonmywife’smoney——youwillnotliveinmymother’shouse——andwearedriftingapart。ItisnotthatIcarelessforyoudear，oratallforanyoneelse，butthisisslowdeath——that’sall。"

Mrs。Wardenwrotenowandthenandexpatiatedonthesufferingsofherson，andhisfailingstrengthundertheunnaturalstrain，tillDianthagrewtodreadherlettersmorethananypainsheknew。Fortunatelytheycameseldom。