第6章

Herownfamilywasmuchimpressedbythethousanddollars，andfoundtheoccupationofhousekeeperalongwaymoretolerablethanthatofhouse—maid，adistinctionwhichmadeDianthasmileratherbitterly。

Evenherfatherwrotetoheronce，suggestingthatifshechosetoinvesthersalaryaccordingtohisadvicehecoulddoubleitforherinayear，maybetrebleit，inBelgianhares。

_"They’d_doubleandtreblefastenough！"sheadmittedtoherself;butshewroteaspleasantaletterasshecould，declininghisproposition。

Hermotherseemedstronger，andbecamemoresympatheticasthemonthspassed。Largeaffairsalwaysappealedtohermorethansmallones，andsheofferedvaluablesuggestionsastotheaccountkeepingofthebighouse。Theyallassumedthatshewaspermanentlysettledinthiswellpaidposition，andshemadenoconfidences。Butallsummerlongsheplannedandreadandstudiedoutherprogressiveschemes，andstrengthenedherholdamongtheworkingwomen。

Laundressafterlaundressshestudiedpersonallyandtestedprofessionally，findingagenerallevelofmediocrity，tillfinallyshehituponamelancholyDane——abigrawbonedred—facedwoman——whosehusbandhadbeenamiller，butwashurtabouttheheadsothathewasnolongerabletoearnhisliving。Thehugefellowwasdocile，quiet，andendlesslystrong，butneededconstantsupervision。

"He’lldoanythingyoutellhim，Miss，anddoitwell;butthenhe’llsitanddreamaboutit——Ican’tleavehimatall。Buthe’lltaketheclothesifIgivehimapaperwithdirections，andcomerightback。"

PoorMrs。Thoraldwipedhereyes，andwentonwithherswiftironing。

DianthaofferedherthepositionoflaundressatUnionHouse，withtworoomsfortheirown，overthelaundry。"There’llbeworkforhim，too，"

shesaid。"Weneedamanthere。Hecandoadealoftheheavierwork——beporteryouknow。Ican’tofferhimverymuch，butitwillhelpsome。"

Mrs。Thoraldacceptedforboth，andconsideredDianthaasaspecialprovidence。

Therewastobecook，andtwocapablesecondmaids。Theworkofthehousemustbedonethoroughlywell，Dianthadetermined;"andthefood’sgottobegood——orthegirlswontstay。"AftermuchconsiderationsheselectedoneJulianna，a"personofcolor，"forherkitchen：notthejovialandsloppypersonageusuallyfiguringinthischaracter，butatall，angular，andsomewhatcynicalwoman，amisanthropeinfact，withasmallson。Formenshehadnorespectwhatever，butconcededagrudgingadmirationtoMr。Thoraldas"theusefullestbiddablestmaleperson"shehadeverseen。ShealsoextendedspecialsympathytoMrs。Thoraldonaccountofherpeculiarburden，andtheSwedishwomanhadnoantipathytohercolor，andseemedtotakeamelancholypleasureinJulianna’scausticspeeches。

Dianthaofferedhertheplace，boyandall。"Hecanbe’bellboy’andhelpyouinthekitchen，too。Can’tyou，Hector？"Hectorrolledlargeadoringeyesather，butsaidnothing。Hismotheracceptedtheproposition，butwithoutenthusiasm。"Ican’tkeepnoeyeonhim，Miss，ifI’mcookin’anless’nyoukeepyoureyeonhimthey’snoworktobegotout’nanykindo’boy。"

"Whatisyourlastname，Julianna？"Dianthaaskedher。

"Isuppose，asamattero’fac’itsdenameofdelastniggerI

married，"shereplied。"Derewasseveralof’em，allhavin’differentnames，andtotellyoudetrufMis’Bell，Igotcleanmixedamongst’em。

ButJulianna’smyname——worldwithoutendamen。"

SoDianthahadtowaivehertheoriesaboutthesurnamesofservantsinthiscase。

"Didtheyalldie？"sheaskedwithpolitesympathy。

"No’m，deydidn’tnoneof’emdie——worseluck。"

"I’mafraidyouhaveseenmuchtrouble，Julianna，"shecontinuedsympathetically;"Theydesertedyou，Isuppose？"

Juliannalaidherlongspoonuponthetableandstoodupwithgreatgravity。"No’m，"shesaidagain，"deydidn’tnoneof’emdesertmeonnooccasion。Idivorced’em。"

MaritaldifficultiesinbulkwerebeyondDiantha’scomprehension，andshedroppedthesubject。

UnionHouseopenedintheautumn。ThevanishedpeppertreesweredimwithdustinOrchardinastreetsasthelongrainlesssummerdrewtoaclose;butthesocialatmospherefairlysparkledwithnewinterest。

Thosewhohadnotbeenawaychatteredeagerlywiththosewhohad，andbothwiththeincomingtideofwintervisitors。

"ThatgirlofMrs。Porne’shasstartedherhousekeepingshop！"

"That’MissBell’hasgotMrs。Weatherstonefairlyinfatuatedwithhercrazyschemes。"

"DoyouknowthatBellgirlhasactuallytakenUnionHouse？GoingtomakeaGirl’sClubofit！"

"Didyouever_hear_ofsuchathing！DianthaBell’sreallygoingtotrytorunherabsurdundertakingrighthereinOrchardina！"

TheydidnotknowthattheyoungcaptainofindustryhaddeliberatelychosenOrchardinaasherstartingpointonaccountofthespecialconditions。Theevenclimatewasfavorableto"goingoutbytheday，"

orthedeliveryofmeals，thenumberofwealthyresidentsgaveopportunityforcateringonalargescale;thecrowdingtouristsandhealthseekersmadeamarketforallmanneroftransientserviceandcookedfood，andtheconstantlackofsufficientorcapableservantsforcedthepeopleintoanunwillingconsiderationofanyplanofdomesticassistance。

Inayear’sdeliberateeffortDianthahadacquaintedherselfwiththerankandfileofthetown’shousemaidsanddayworkers，andpickedherassistantscarefully。Shehadstudiedthelocalconditionsthoroughly，andknewherground。Abigfadedbuildingthatusedtobe"theHotel’

inOrchardina’sinfantdays，standing，awkwardanddingyonasitetoovaluableforahouselotandnotyetsaleableasabusinessblock，wastheworkingbase。

AhalfyearwithMrs。Weatherstonegaveher$500incash，besidesthe$100shehadsavedatMrs。Porne’s;andMrs。Weatherstone’scheerfullyofferedbackinggavehercredit。

"Ihatetoletyou，"saidDiantha，"Iwanttodoitallmyself。"

"Youareapainfullyperfectperson，MissBell，"saidherlastemployer，pleasantly，"butyouhaveceasedtobemyhousekeeperandIhopeyouwillcontinuetobemyfriend。AsafriendIclaimtheprivilegeofbeingdisagreeable。Ifyouhaveafaultitisconceit。ImmovableColossalConceit！AndObstinacy！"

"Isthatall？"askedDiantha。

"It’sallI’vefound——sofar，"gailyretortedMrs。Weatherstone。"Don’tyousee，child，thatyoucan’taffordtowait？Youhavereasonsforhastening，youknow。Idon’tdoubtyoucould，inaseriesofyears，workupthisbusinessallstarkalone。IhaveeveryconfidenceinthosequalitiesIhavementioned！Butwhat’stheuse？You’llneedcreditforgroceriesandfurniture。Iamprofoundlyinterestedinthisbusiness。

Iammorethanwillingtoadvancealittlecapital，ortoensureyourcredit。Amanwouldhavesenseenoughtotakemeupatonce。"

"Ibelieveyouareright，"Dianthareluctantlyagreed。"Andyoushan’tlosebyit！"

Herfriendswereacutelyinterestedinherprogress，andshoweditinpracticalways。TheNewWoman’sClubfurnishedfivefamiliesofpatronsfortheregularserviceofcookedfood，whichsoongrew，withsatisfaction，toadozenorso，varyingfromtimetotime。Themanyfamilieswithinvalids，andlonelyinvalidswithoutfamilies，weregladtoavailthemselvesofthespecialdelicaciesfurnishedatUnionHouse。

PicnickersfounditeasiertobuyDiantha’smarveloussandwichesthantospendgoldenmorninghoursinputtingupinferioronesathome;andmanywhocookedforthemselves，orkeptservants，weregladtoprofitbythisoutsidesourceonSundayeveningsand"daysout。"

Therewasoppositiontoo;boththenaturalresistanceofinertiaandprejudice，andtheactivemalignityofMrs。Thaddler。

ThePornesweresympatheticandanxious。

"Thatplace’llcostherallof$10，000ayear，withthosetwenty—fivetofeed，andtheyonlypay$4。50aweek——Iknowthat！"saidMr。Porne。

"Itdoeslookimpossible，"hiswifeagreed，"butsuchismyfaithinDianthaBellI’dbackheragainstRockefeller！"

Mrs。Weatherstonewasnotalarmedatall。"Ifshe_should_fail——whichIdon’tforamomentexpect——itwontruinme，"shetoldIsabel。"Andifshesucceeds，asIfirmlybelieveshewill，why，I’dbewillingtoriskalmostanythingtoproveMrs。Thaddlerinthewrong。"

Mrs。Thaddlerwasmakingherselfratherdisagreeable。Sheusedwhatpowershehadtocrydowntheundertaking，andwassoactivelymalevolentthatherhusbandwasmovedtocovertopposition。Heneverarguedwithhiswife——shewaseasilyaheadofhiminthatart，and，ifitcametorecriminations，hadcertaincontrovertiblechargestomakeagainsthim，whichmodehimangrilysilent。Hewasconvincedinadimwaythatherruthlessdomineeringspirit，andthesheermalicesheoftenshowed，weremoreevilthingsthanhisownbadhabits;andthatevenintheirdomesticrelationherbehaviorreallycausedhimmorepainanddiscomfortthanhecausedher;buthecouldnotconvinceherofit，naturally。

"ThatDianthaBellisafinegirl，"hesaidtohimself。"Adamnfinegirl，andasstraightasastring！"

Therehadcreptout，throughthequenchlessleakofservantstalk，avaricoloredversionoftheincidentofMathewandthetransom;andthetownhadgrownsowarmforthatyounggentlemanthathehadgonetoAlaskasuddenly，tocooloff，asitwere。HisGrandmother，findingMrs。

Thaddlerinvinciblewiththisnewweapon，andwhatshehadsolongregardedasherhomenowvisiblyMrs。Weatherstone’s，hadretiredinregaldignitytoheroldPhiladelphiaestablishment，wheresheupheldthestandardofdecorumagainsttheweakeninghabitsofadeterioratedworld，formanyyears。

AsMr。Thaddlerthoughtofthissweepingvictory，hechuckledforthehundredthtime。"Sheoughttomakegood，andshewill。Something’sgottobedoneaboutit，"saidhe。

DianthahadneverlikedMr。Thaddler;shedidnotlikethatkindofmaningeneral，norhismannertowardherinparticular。MoreoverhewasthehusbandofMrs。Thaddler。Shedidnotknowthathewasstillthelargestownerinthetown’sbestgrocerystore，andwhenthatstoreofferedherspecialtermsforherexclusivetrade，sheacceptedthepropositionthankfully。

ShetoldRossaboutit，asamatterwellwithinhisknowledge，ifnothisliking，andhewasmildlyinterested。"Iammuchalarmedatthisnewventure，"hewrote，"butyoumustgetyourexperience。IwishI

couldsaveyou。Astothegroceries，thosearewholesalerates，nearly;

they’llmakeenoughonit。Yoursisalargeorderyousee，andsteady。"

Whensheopenedher"BusinessMen’sLunch"Mr。Thaddlerhadastillbetteropportunity。Hehadareputationasahighflyer，andhadreallyintendedtosacrificehimselfonthealtaroffriendshipbypatronizingandpraisingthis"undertaking"atanycosttohispalate;butnosacrificewasneeded。

Diantha’sgroupofdayworkershadtheirearlybreakfastanddeparted，takingeachherneatlunch—pail，——theyatenothingoftheiremployers;——andbothkitchenanddiningroomwouldhavestoodidletillsuppertime。Buttheyoungmanagerknewshemustworkherplantforallitwasworth，andspeedilyopenedthediningroomwiththesideentranceasa"Caffeteria，"withthelargeroneasasortofmeetingplace;

papersandmagazinesonthetables。

Fromthecounteryoutookwhatyouliked，andseatedyourself，andyourfriends，atoneofthemanysmalltablesorintheflat—armedchairsinthebigroom，oronthebroadpiazza;andasthisgavegoodfood，cheapness，achanceforacomfortableseatandtalkandasmoke，ifonehadtime，itwaslargelypatronized。

Mr。Thaddler，asanexperienced_bonvivant，_despisedsandwiches。

"Picnickymakeshifts"hecalledthem，——"railroadrations"——"breadandleavings，"andwhenhesawthesepilesonpilesofsandwiches，listedonlyas"No。1，""No。2""No。3，"andsoon，hisbenevolentintentionwavered。Buthepulledhimselftogetherandtookaplateful，assorted。

"Comeon，Porne，"hesaid，"we’llplayit’saSundayschoolpicnic，"andhedrewhimselfacupofcoffee，findinghotmilk，creamandsugarcrystalsathand。"Ineversawacheapjointwhereyoucouldfixityourself，before，"hesaid，——andsuspiciouslytastedthemixture。

"Byjing！That’scoffee！"hecriedinsurprise。"There’snoscumonthemilk，andthecream’scream！"Fivecents！Shewon’tgetrichonthis。"

Thenheappliedhimselftohis"No。1"sandwich，andhisdeterminedexpressiongavewaytooneofpleasure。"Whythat’sbread——realbread！

Ibelieveshemadeitherself！"

Shedidintruth，——sheandJuliannawithHectorasgeneralassistant。

Thebigovenwasfilledseveraltimeseverymorning：thefreshrollsdisappearedatbreakfastandsupper，thefreshbreadwaspackedinthelunchpails，andthestalebreadwasevennowmeltingawayinlargebitesbehindthesmilingmouthsandmustachesofmanymen。Perfectbread，excellentbutter，and"What’sthefillingI’dliketoknow？"

Morethanoneinquiring—mindedpatronsplithissandwichtoaddsighttotaste，butfewcouldbesureoftheflavorsomecontents，fatless，gritless，smoothandeven，coveringtheentiresurface，thelastmouthfulasperfectasthefirst。Somewerefamiliar，somenew，allweredelicious。

Thesixsandwicheswerefivecents，thecupofcoffeefive，andthelittle"dropcakes，"sweetandspicy，weretwoforfive。Everymanspentfifteencents，someofthemmore;andmanytookawaysmallcakesinpaperbags，iftherewereanyleft。

"Idon’tseehowyoucandoit，andmakeaprofit，"urgedMr。Eltwood，makingapastorialcall。"Theyaresogoodyouknow！"

Dianthasmiledcheerfully。"That’sbecauseallyourideasarebasedonwhatwecall’domesticeconomy，’whichisdomesticwaste。Ibuyinlargequantitiesatwholesalerates，andmycookwithherlittlehelper，thetwomaids，andmyownshareofthework，ofcourse，providesforthelot。Ofcourseonehastoknowhow。"

"Wheneverdidyoufind——ordidyoucreate？——thoseheavenlysandwiches？"

heasked。

"Ihavetothankmylaundressforpartofthatsuccess，"shesaid。

"She’saDane，anditappearsthattheDanesaresofondofsandwichesthat，inlargeestablishments，theyhavea’sandwichkitchen’topreparethem。Itisquiteabitofwork，buttheyaregoodandinexpensive。

Thereisnolimittothevariety。"

Asamatteroffactthislunchbusinesspaidwell，andledtolargerthings。

Thegirl’smethodsweresimpleandsoorganizedastomakeonehandwashtheother。Herhousehadsometwenty—oddbedrooms，fullaccommodationsforkitchenandlaundryworkonalargescale，bigdining，dancing，andreceptionrooms，andbroadshadypiazzasonthesides。Itspositiononacornernearthebusinesspartofthelittlecity，andatthefootofthehillcrownedwithsomanymillionairesandnearmillionairesascouldgetlandthere，offeredmanyadvantages，andeveryonewastaken。

ThemainpartoftheundertakingwasaHouseWorker’sUnion;agroupofthirtygirls，pickedandtrained。These，previouslyworkingoutasservants，hadreceivedsixdollarsaweek"andfound。"Theynowworkedanagreednumberofhours，werepaidonabasisbythehourorday，and"found"themselves。Eachhadherownroom，andthebroadporchesandballroomweretheirs，exceptwhenengagedfordancesandmeetingsofonesortandanother。

Itwasastirringyear’swork，hardbutexciting，andtheonlydifficultywhichreallyworriedDianthawasthesamethatworriedtheaveragehousewife——theaccounts。

WHATDIANTHADID

XI。

THEPOWEROFTHESCREW。

Yourcaristoobigforonepersontostir——

Yourchauffeurisalittleman，too;

Yetheliftsthatmachine，doesthelittlechauffeur，Bythepowerofagentlejackscrew。

Dianthaworked。

Forallheremployeesshedemandedaten—hourday，sheworkedfourteen;

risingatsixandnotgettingtobedtilleleven，whenherchargeswereallsafelyintheirroomsforthenight。

Theywereallupatfive—thirtyorthereabouts，breakfastingatsix，andthegirlsoffintimetoreachtheirvariousplacesbyseven。Theirdaywasfrom7A。M。to8。30P。M。，withhalfanhourout，from11。30totwelve，fortheirlunch;andthreehours，between2。20and5。30，fortheirowntime，includingtheirtea。Thentheyworkedagainfrom5。30

to8。30，onthedinnerandthedishes，andthentheycamehometoapleasantnineo’clocksupper，andhadallhourtodanceorrestbeforethe10。30bellforbedtime。

Specialfriendsand"cousins"oftencamehomewiththem，andfrequentlysharedthesupper——foraquarter——andthedancefornothing。

Itwasnolightmatterinthefirstplacetokeeptwentygirlscontentedwithsucharegime，andworkingwiththesteadyexcellencerequired，andinthesecondplacetokeeptwentyemployerscontentedwiththem。Therewerefailuresonbothsides;halfadozenfamiliesgaveuptheplan，andittooktimetoreplacethem;andthreegirlshadtobeaskedtoresignbeforetheyearwasover。Butmostofthemhadbeenintraininginthesummer，andhadlistenedformonthstoDiantha’searnesttalkstotheclubs，withgoodresults。

"Rememberwearenotdoingthisforourselvesalone，"shewouldsaytothem。"Ourexperimentisgoingtomakethiskindofworkeasierforallhomeworkerseverywhere。Youmaynotlikeitatfirst，butneitherdidyouliketheoldway。Itwillgroweasieraswegetusedtoit;andwe_must_keeptherules，becausewemadethem！"

Shelaboriouslycomposedaneatlittlecircular，distributeditwidely，andkeptapileinherlunchroomforpeopletotake。

Itreadthus：

UNIONHOUSE

FoodandService。

GeneralHouseworkbytheweek……$10。00

GeneralHouseworkbytheday……$2。00

Tenhoursworkaday，andfurnishtheirownfood。

Additionallaborbythehour……$。20

Specialserviceforentertainments，maidsandwaitresses，bythehour……$。25

Cateringforentertainments。

Delicaciesforinvalids。

Lunchespackedanddelivered。

Caffeteria……12to2

Whatannoyedtheyoungmanagermostwastheuncertaintyandirregularityinvolvedinherwork，thefactsvaryingconsiderablyfromhercalculations。

Inthehouseallransmoothly。SolemnMrs。Thorvalddidthelaundryworkforthirty—five——bytheaidofherhusbandandabigmangleforthe"flatwork。"Thegirls’washingwaslimited。"Youhavetobereasonableaboutit，"Dianthahadexplainedtothem。"Yourfiftycentscoversadozenpieces——nomore。Ifyouwantmoreyouhavetopaymore，justasyouremployersdoforyourextratime。"

Thislastoftenhappened。Nooneonthefaceofitcouldaskmorethantenhoursoftheswift，steadyworkgivenbythegirlsatbutafractionover14centsanhour。Yetmanytimesthehousekeeperwasanxiousformorelaboronspecialdays;andthegirls，unaccustomedtothethreefreehoursintheafternoon，werequitewillingtofurnishit，thusaddingsomewhattotheircashreturns。

Theyhadadressmakingclassattheclubafternoons，andasUnionHouseboastedagoodsewingmachine，manyofthemspentthefreehoursinenlargingtheirwardrobes。Someamusedthemselveswithlightreading，afewstudied，othersmetandwalkedoutside。Thesenseofhonestleisuregrewuponthem，withitsbroadeninginfluence;andamongherthirtyDianthafoundfourorfivewhowereableandambitious，andwillingtoworkheartilyforthefurtherdevelopmentofthebusiness。

Hertwohousemaidswerespeciallyselected。Whenthegirlswereoutofthehousethesetwomaidswashedthebreakfastdisheswithmarvelousspeed，andthenhelpedDianthaprepareforthelunch。Thiswasalargeundertaking，andallthreeofthem，aswellasJuliannaandHectorworkedatituntilsomesixoreighthundredsandwicheswereready，andtwoorthreehundredlittlecakes。

Dianthahadherownlunch，andthensatatthereceiptofcustomduringthelunchhour，makingchangeandorderingfreshsuppliesasfastasneeded。

Thetwohousemaidshadalongday，butsoarrangedthatitmadebuttenhourswork，andtheyhadmuchavailabletimeoftheirown。Theyhadtobeatworkat5：30tosetthetableforsixo’clockbreakfast，andthentheywereatitsteadily，withthediningroomsto"do，"andthelunchtogetready，until11：30，whentheyhadanhourtoeatandrest。From12：30to4o’clocktheywerebusywiththelunchcups，thebed—rooms，andsettingthetablefordinner;butafterthattheyhadfourhourstothemselves，untilthenineo’clocksupperwasover，andoncemoretheywasheddishesforhalfanhour。Thecaffeteriausedonlycupsandspoons;thesandwichesandcakeswereservedonpaperplates。

Inthehand—cartmethodsofsmallhousekeepingitisimpossibletoexacttheswiftprecisionofsuchwork，butnotinthestandardizedtasksandregularhoursofsuchanestablishmentasthis。

Dianthareligiouslykeptherhouratnoon，andtriedtokeepthethreeintheafternoon;buttheemployerandmanagercannottakeirresponsiblerestascantheemployee。Shefeltlikeamostinexperiencedcaptainonatotallynewspeciesofship，andherpaperplanslookedveryweaksometimes，asbillsturnedouttobelargerthanshehadallowedfor，orherpatronageunaccountablydwindled。Butifthedifficultiesweregreat，thegirl’scouragewasgreater。"Itissimplyabigpieceofwork，"sheassuredherself，"andmaybealongone，butthereneverwasanythingbetterworthdoing。Everynewbusinesshasdifficulties，I

mustn’tthinkofthem。Imustjustpushandpushandpush——alittlemoreeveryday。"

Andthenshewoulddrawonallherpowerstoreasonwith，laughat，andpersuadesomedissatisfiedgirl;or，hardestofall，tobringinanewonetofillavacancy。

Sheenjoyedthedetailsofherlunchbusiness，andstudieditcarefully;

planningforarestaurantalittlelater。Herbreadwasbakedinlongcylindricalclosedpans，andcutbymachineryintothinevenslices，notacrustwasted;fortheyweregroundintocrumbsandusedinthecooking。

Thefillingforhersandwicheswasmadefromfish，flesh，andfowl;fromcheeseandjellyandfruitandvegetables;andsonamedornumberedthatthegeneralfavoritesweregraduallydetermined。

Mr。Thaddlerchattedwithheroverthecounter，asfarasshewouldallowit，anddiscoursedmorefullywithhisfriendsontheverandah。

"Porne，"hesaid，"where’dthatgirlcomefromanyway？She’sagenius，that’swhatsheis;aregulargenius。"

"She’sallthat，"saidMr。Porne，"andabenefactortohumanitythrownin。Iwishshe’dstartherfooddelivery，though。I’mtiredofthosetwoSwedesalready。O——comefrom？UpinJopalez，IncaCounty，I

believe。"

"NewEnglandstockIbet，"saidMr。Thaddler。"Itsadamnshamethewaythewomengoonabouther。"

"Notallofthem，surely，"protestedMr。Porne。

"No，notallof’em，——butenoughof’emtomakemischief，youmaybesure。Womenarethedevil，sometimes。"

Mr。Pornesmiledwithoutanswer，andMr。Thaddlerwentsulkingaway——abagofcakesbulginginhispocket。

ThelittlewoodenhotelinJopalezboastedanextravisitorafewdayslater。Abigredfacedman，whostrolledaboutamongthetradesmen，triedthebarber’sshop，loafedinthepostoffice，hiredarigandtraversedthelengthandbreadthofthetown，andwhocalledonMrs。

Warden，talkingrealestatewithhermostpolitelyinspiteofherprotestationandthescornfullooksofthefourdaughters;whoboughttobaccoandmatchesinthegrocerystore，andsatonthepiazzathereoftosmoke，asdidothergentlemenofleisure。

RossWardenoccasionallyleanedatthedoorjamb，withfoldedarms。Henevercouldlearntobeeasilysociablewithranchmenandteamsters。

Servethemhemust，butchatwiththemheneednot。Thestoutgentlemanessayedsomeconversation，butdidnotgetfar。Rosswaspolite，butfarfromencouraging，andpresentlywenthometosupper，leavingacarrot—hairedboytowaituponhislingeringcustomers。

"Niceyoungfellerenough，"saidthestoutgentlemantohimself，"butraisedonramrods。Nevergot’emfromthosewomenfolksofhis，either。

He_has_arowtohoe！"Andhedepartedashehadcome。

Mr。EltwoodturnedoutanunexpectedlyusefulfriendtoDiantha。Hesteeredclubmeetingsand"sociables"intoherlargerooms，andaspeoplefoundhowcheapandeasyitwastogivepartiesthatway，theycontinuedthehabit。Hebroughthisdoctorfriendstosamplethelunch，andtheytestedthevalueofDiantha’sinvalidcookery，andweremorethanpleased。

Hungrytouristswerewhollywithoutprejudice，andprizedherlunchesfortheirownsake。Theydescendeduponthecaffeteriainchatteringswarms，somedays，robbingtheregularpatronsoftheirfood，andsentsuddenordersforpicniclunchesthatbrokeinupontheroutinehoursoftheplaceunmercifully。

Butofallherpatrons，thefamiliesofinvalidsappreciatedDiantha’sworkthemost。Wherealittleshackortentwasalltheycouldaffordtolivein，orwherethetinycottagewasmorethanfilledwiththepatient，attendingrelative，andnurse，thisdepotofsupplieswasareliefindeed。

Agirlcouldbehadforanhourortwo;ortwogirls，together，withamazingspeed，couldputasmallhouseindaintyorderwhilethesickmanlayinhishammockunderthepeppertrees;andbegonebeforehewasfrettingforhisbedagain。Theyliveduponherlunches;andfromthem，andotherquarters，roseanincreasingdemandforregularcookedfood。

"Whydon’tyougointoitatonce？"urgedMrs。Weatherstone。

"Iwanttoestablishthedayservicefirst，"saidDiantha。"ItisaprettybigbusinessIfind，andIdogettiredsometimes。Ican’taffordtoslipup，youknow。Imeantotakeitupnextfall，though。"

"Allright。Andlookhere;seethatyoubegininfirstrateshape。

I’vegotsomeideasofmyownaboutthosefoodcontainers。"

Theydiscussedthemattermorethanonce，Dianthamostreluctanttotakeanyassistance;Mrs。Weatherstonedeterminedthatsheshould。

"Ifeellikeabiginvestoralready，"shesaid。"Idon’tthinkevenyourealizethe_money_thereisinthisthing！Youareinterestedinestablishingtheworkinggirls，andsavingmoneyandtimeforthehousewives。Iaminterestedinmakingmoneyoutofit——honestly！Itwouldbesuchatriumph！"

"You’reverygood——"Dianthahesitated。

"I’mnotgood。I’mmosteagerlyandselfishlyinterested。I’vetakenanewleaseoflifesinceknowingyou，DianthaBell！Youseemyfatherwasabusinessman，andhisfatherbeforehim——I_likeit。_ThereI

was，withlotsofmoney，andnotaninterestinlife！Now？——why，there’snoendtothisthing，Diantha！It’soneofthebiggestbusinessesonearth——ifnot_the_biggest！"

"Yes——Iknow，"thegirlanswered。"Butitsslowwork。IfeeltheweightofitmorethanIexpected。There’severyreasontosucceed，butthere’sthecombinedsentimentofthewholeworldtolift——it’sasheavyaslead。"

"Heavy！Ofcourseit’sheavy！Themorefuntoliftit！You’lldoit，Diantha，Iknowyouwill，withthatsteady，relentlesspushofyours。

Butthecookedfoodisgoingtobeyourbiggestpower，andyoumustletmestartitright。Nowyoulistentome，andmakeMrs。Thaddlereatherwords！"

Mrs。Thaddler’swordswouldhaveprovedratherpoisonous，ifeaten。Shegrewmoreantagonisticastheyearadvanced。Everyfaultthatcouldbefoundintheundertakingshepounceduponandenlarged;everydoubtthatcouldbecastuponitsheheavilypiledup;andheroppositiongrewmorerancorousasMr。ThaddlerenlargedinherhearingupontheexcellenceofDiantha’slunchesandthewondersofhermanagement。

"She’spickedabuncho’winnersinthosegirlsofhers，"hedeclaredtohisfriends。"Theysetoutinthemorninglookinglikeaflockofsweetpeas——intheirpinksandwhitesandgreensandvi’lets，——anddomoreworkinanhourthantheaverageslaveycandointhree，I’mtold。"

Itwasaprettysighttoseethosegirlsstartout。Theyhadasortofuniform，asfarasaneatginghamdresswent，withelbowsleeves，whiteruffled，andaDutchcollar;asortofcrossbetweenanursesdressandthatof"LaChocolataire;"butcolorswerelefttotaste。Eachcarriedherapronandacapthatcoveredthehairwhilecookingandsweeping;

butnothingthatsuggestedtheblackandwhiteliveryoftheregulationservant。

"Thisisanewstageoflabor，"theirleaderremindedthem。"Youarenotservants——youareemployees。YouwearacapasanEnglishcarpenterdoes——oraFrenchcook，——andanapronbecauseyourworkneedsit。Itisnotaruffledlabel，——it’sabusinessnecessity。Andeachoneofusmustdoourbesttomakethisnewkindofworkvaluedandrespected。"

Itisnoeasymattertoovercomeprejudicesmanycenturiesold，andmeetthecriticismofwomenwhohavenothingtodobutcriticize。Thosewhowere"mistresses，"andwanted"servants，"——someonetodotheirwillatanymomentfromearlymorningtilllateevening，——werenotpleasedwiththenewwayiftheytriedit;butthewomenwhohadinterestsoftheirowntoattendto;whomerelywantedtheirhomeskeptclean，andthefoodwellcookedandserved，werepleased。Thespeed，theaccuracy，theeconomy;thepleasant，quiet，assuredmanneroftheseskilledemployeeswasaverydifferentthingfromtheoldslipshodmethodsoftheordinarygeneralservant。

Sotheworkslowlyprospered，whileDianthabegantoputinexecutionthenewplanshehadbeenforcedinto。

Whileitmatured，Mrs。Thaddlermaturedhers。WithsteadydroppingshehadletfallfarandwidehersuspicionsastothecharacterofUnionHouse。

"Itlooksprettyqueertome！"shewouldsay，confidentially，"Allthosegirlstogether，andnopersontohaveanyauthorityoverthem！Notamarriedwomaninthehousebutthatwasherwoman，——andherhusband’safool！"

"Andagain;Youdon’tseehowshedoesit？NeitherdoI！Theexpensesmustbetremendous——thosegirlspaynexttonothing，——andallthatbrothandbrownbreadflyingabouttown！Prettyqueerdoings，Ithink！"

"Themenseemtolikethatcaffeteria，don’tthey？"urgedonecaller，perhapsnotunwillingtonestleMrs。Thaddler，whoflusheddarklyasshereplied。"Yes，theydo。Menusuallylikethatsortofplace。"

"Theylikegoodfoodatlowprices，ifthat’swhatyoumean，"hervisitoranswered。

"That’snotallImean——byalongway，"saidMrs。Thaddler。Shesaidsomuch，andsaiditsoingeniously，thatadarkrumorarosefromnowhere，andgrewrapidly。SeveralfamiliesdischargedtheirUnionHousegirls。

Severalgirlscomplainedthattheywereinsultinglyspokentoonthestreet。Eventhelunchpatronagebegantofalloff。

Dianthawaspuzzled——alittlealarmed。Herslow，steadyliftingoftheprejudiceagainstherwaschecked。Shecouldnotputherfingerontheenemy，yetfeltonedistinctly，andhadherownsuspicions。Butshealsohadhernewmovewellarrangedbythistime。

ThenamaliciouslyinsinuatingstoryoftheplacecameoutinaSanFranciscopaper，andaflockoflocalreportersbuzzedintosamplethevictim。Theyhelpedthemselvestotheluncheon，andlikedit。butthatdidnotsoftentheirpens。Theytalkedwithsuchofthegirlsastheycouldgetintouchwith，andwrotesuchversionsofthesetalksassuitedthem。

TheycalledrepeatedlyatUnionHouse，butDiantharefusedtoseethem。

FinallyshewasvisitedbytheEpiscopalianclergyman。HehadheardhertalkattheClub，wasfavorablyimpressedbythegirlherself，andhonestlydistressedbythedarkstorieshenowheardaboutUnionHouse。

"Mydearyounglady，"hesaid，"Ihavecalledtoseeyouinyourowninterests。Idonot，asyouperhapsknow，approveofyourschemes。I

considerthem——ah——subversiveofthebestinterestsofthehome！ButI

thinkyoumeanwell，thoughmistakenly。NowIfearyouarenotawarethatthis—ah——ill—consideredundertakingofyours，isgivingrisetoconsiderableadversecommentinthecommunity。Thereis——ah——thereisagreatdealbeingsaidaboutthisbusinessofyourswhichIamsureyouwouldregretifyouknewit。Doyouthinkitiswise;doyouthinkitis——ah——right，mydearMissBell，toattempttocarryona——aplaceofthissort，withoutthepresenceofa——ofaMatronofassuredstanding？"

Dianthasmiledrathercoldly。

"MayItroubleyoutostepintothebackparlor，Dr。Aberthwaite，"shesaid;andthen;

"MayIhavethepleasureofpresentingtoyouMrs。HendersonBell——mymother？"

*

"Wasn’titgreat！"saidMrs。Weatherstone;"Iwasthereyousee，——I’dcometocallonMrs。Bell——she’sadear，——andincameMrs。Thaddler——"

"Mrs。Thaddler？"

"OIknowitwasoldAberthwaite，butherepresentedMrs。Thaddlerandherclique，andhadcometheretopreachtoDianthaaboutpropriety——I

heardhim，——andshebroughthiminandverypolitelyintroducedhimtohermother！——itwasrich，Isabel。"

"HowdidDianthamanageit？"askedherfriend。

"She’sbeentryingtoarrangeitforeversolong。Ofcourseherfatherobjected——you’dknowthat。Butthere’sasister——notabadsort，onlyverylimited;she’stakentheoldmantoboard，asitwere，andIguessthemotherreallysetherfootdownforonce——saidshehadarighttovisitherowndaughter！"

"Itwouldseemso，"Mrs。Porneagreed。"I_am_soglad！Itwillbesomucheasierforthatbravelittlewomannow。"

Itwas。

Dianthaheldhermotherinherarmsthenightshecame，andcriedtikeababy。

"Omother_dear！_"shesobbed，"I’dnoideaIshouldmissyousomuch。

Oyoublessedcomfort！"

Hermothercriedabittoo;sheenjoyedthisdaughtermorethaneitherofherolderchildren，andmissedhermore。Amotherlovesallherchildren，naturally;butamotherisalsoaperson——andmay，withoutsin，havepersonalpreferences。

ShetookholdofDiantha’stangledmassofpaperswiththeeagernessofaquestinghound。

"You’vegotallthebills，ofcourse，"shedemanded，withheranxiousrisinginflection。

"Everyone，"saidthegirl。"Youtaughtmethatmuch。Whatpuzzlesmeistomakethingsbalance。I’mmakingmorethanIthoughtinsomelines，andlessinothers，andIcan’tmakeitcomeoutstraight。"

"Itwon’t，altogether，tilltheendoftheyearIdaresay，"saidMrs。

Bell，"butlet’sgetclearasfaraswecan。Inthefirstplacewemustseparateyourbusiness，——seehowmucheachonepays。"

"ThefirstoneIwanttoestablish，"saidherdaughter，"isthegirl’sclub。Notjustthisone，withmetorunit。Buttoshowthatanygroupoftwentyorthirtygirlscoulddothisthinginanycity。Ofcoursewhererentsandprovisionswerehighthey’dhavetochargemore。Iwanttomakeanaverageshowingsomehow。Nowcanyoudisentanglethegirlpartfrontthelunchpartandthefoodpart，motherdear，andmakeitallstraight？"

Mrs。Bellcouldanddid;itgaveherabsolutedelighttodoit。ShesetdownthetotalofDiantha’sexpensessofarintheServiceDepartment，asfollows：

RentofUnionHouse……$1，500

Rentoffurniture……$300

Onepaymentonfurniture……$400

Fuelandlights，etc……$352

Serviceof5at$10aweekeach……$2，600

Foodforthirty—seven……$3，848

—————

Total……$9，000

"Thatcoverseverythingbutmyboard，"saidMrs。Bell。

"Nowyourincomeiseasy——35x$4。50equals$8，190。Takethatfromyour$9，000andyouare$810behind。"

"Yes，Iknow，"saidDiantha，eagerly，"butifitwasmerelyagirl’sclubhome，therentandfixtureswouldbemuchless。Ahomecouldbebuilt，withthirtybedrooms——andallnecessaryconveniences——for$7，000。

I’veaskedMr。andMrs。Porneaboutit;andthefurnishingneedn’tcostover$2，000ifitwasveryplain。Tenpercent。ofthatisarentof$900yousee。"

"Isee，"saidhermother。"Bettersayathousand。Iguessitcouldbedoneforthat。"

Sotheysetdownrent，$1，000。

"Therehavetobefivepaidhelpersinthehouse，"Dianthawenton，"thecook，thelaundress，thetwomaids，andthematron。Shemustbuyandmanage。Shecouldbeoneoftheirmothersoraunts。"

Mrs。Bellsmiled。"Doyoureallyimagine，Diantha，thatMrs。

O’ShaughnessyorMrs。YonYonsoncanmanageahouselikethisasyoucan？"

Dianthaflushedalittle。"No，mother，ofcoursenot。ButIamkeepingveryfullreportsofallthework。Justthescheduleoflabor——thehours——theexactthingsdone。Onelaundress，withmachinery，canwashforthirty—five，（itsonlysixadayyousee），andtheamountisregulated;aboutsixdozenaday，andalltheflatworkmangled。

"InaGirl’sClubalonethecookhasalldayoff，asitwere;shecandothedownstairscleaning。Andthetwomaidshaveonlytableserviceandbedrooms。"

"Thirty—fivebedrooms？"

"Yes。Buttwogirlstogether，whoknowhow，candoaroomin8

minutes——easily。Theyaresmallandsimpleyousee。Makethebed，shakethemats，wipethefloorsandwindows，——youwatchthem！"

"Ihavewatchedthem，"themotheradmitted。"Theyareasquickas——asmill—workers！"

"Well，"pursuedDiantha，"theyspendthreehoursondishesandtables，andsevenoncleaning。Thebedroomstake280minutes;that’snearlyfivehours。Theothertwoareforthebathrooms，halls，stairs，downstairswindows，andsoon。That’sallright。ThenI’mkeepingthemenus——justwhatIfurnishandwhatitcosts。Anybodycouldorderandmanagewhenitwasallsetdownforher。Andyousee——asyouhavefiguredit——they’dhaveover$500leewaytobuythefurnitureiftheywereallowedto。"

"Yes，"Mrs。Belladmitted，"_if_therentwaswhatyouallow，and_if_

theyallworkallthetime！"

"That’sthehitch，ofcourse。Butmother;thegirlswhodon’thavesteadyjobsdoworkbythehour，andthatbringsinmore，onthewhole。

Iftheyaretherightkindtheycanmakegood。Iftheyfindanyonewhodon’tkeepherjob——forgoodreasons——theycandropher。"

"M’m！"saidMrs。Bell。"Well，it’saninterestingexperiment。Buthowaboutyou？Sofaryouare$410behind。"

"Yes，becausemyrent’ssobig。ButIcoverthatbylettingtherooms，yousee。"

Mrs。Bellconsideredtheordersofthissort。"Sofaritaveragesabout$25。00aweek;that’sdoingwell。"

"Itwillbelessinsummer——muchless，"Dianthasuggested。"Supposeyoucallitanaverageof$15。00。"

"Callit$10。00，"saidhermotherruthlessly。"Atthatitcoversyourdeficitand$110over。"

"Whichisn’tmuchtoliveon，"Dianthaagreed，"butthencomesmyspecialcatering，andthelunches。"

Heretheywerequiteatseaforawhile。Butasthemonthspassed，andtheworksteadilygrewontheirhands，Mrs。Bellbecamemoreandmorecheerful。Shewasupwiththeearliest，tookentirechargeofthefinancialpartoftheconcern，andatlastDianthawasabletorestfullyinherafternoonhours。Whatdelightedhermostwastoseehermotherthriveinthework。Herthinshouldersliftedalittleassmalldraggingtaskswereforgottenandalargegrowingbusinesssubstituted。

Hereyesgrewbrightagain，sheheldherheadasshedidinherkeengirlhood，andherdaughterfeltfreshhopeandpowerasshesawalreadythebenefitofthenewmethodasaffectinghernearestanddearest。

AllDiantha’sfriendswatchedthespreadoftheworkwithkeenlysympatheticintent;buttoMrs。Weatherstoneitbecamealmostasfascinatingastothegirlherself。

"It’sgoingtobeoneofthefinestbusinessesintheworld！"shesaid，"Andoneofthelargestandbestpaying。NowI’llhaveasurprisereadyforthatgirlinthespring，andanothernextyear，ifI’mnotmistaken！"

TherewerelongandvividdiscussionsofthematterbetweenherandherfriendsthePornes，andMrs。Pornespentmorehoursinher"drawingroom"thanshehadforyears。

Butwhiletheseunmentionedsurpriseswerepending，Mrs。WeatherstonedepartedtoNewYork——toEurope;andwasgonesomemonths。Inthespringshereturned，inApril——whichislateJuneinOrchardina。ShecalleduponDianthaandhermotheratonce，andopenedherattack。

"Idohope，Mrs。Bell，thatyou’llbackmeup，"shesaid。"YouhavethebetterbusinessheadIthink，inthefinancialline。"

"Shehas，"Dianthaadmitted。"She’stentimesasgoodasIamatthat;

butshe’snomorewillingtocarryobligationthanIam，Mrs。

Weatherstone。"

"Obligationisonething——investmentisanother，"saidherguest。"I

liveonmymoney——thatis，onotherpeople’swork。Iamabasecapitalist，andyouseemtomegoodmaterialtoinvestin。So——takeitorleaveit——I’vebroughtyouanoffer。"

Shethenproducedfromherhandbagsomepapers，and，fromhercaroutside，alargeobjectcarefullyboxed，aboutthesizeandshapeofaplatewarmer。Thisbeingplacedonthetablebeforethem，wasuncovered，andprovedtobeafoodcontainerofanewmodel。

"IhadonemadeinParis，"sheexplained，"andtherestcopiedheretosavepayingduty。Liftit！"

Theylifteditinamazement——itwassolight。

"Aluminum，"shesaid，proudly，"Silverplated——newprocess！Andbambooatthecornersyousee。Alllinedandinterlinedwithasbestos，rubberfittingsforsilverware，plateracks，foodcompartments——see？"

Shepulledoutdrawers，openedlittledoors，andrapidlylaidoutatableserviceforfive。

"Itwillholdfoodforfive——theaveragefamily，youknow。Forlargerordersyou’llhavetosendmore。Ihadtomake_some_estimate。"

"Whatlovelydishes！"saidDiantha。

"Aren’tthey！Aluminum，silvered！Ifyourwashersarecarefultheywon’tgetdented，andyoucan’tbreak’em。"

Mrs。Bellexaminedthecaseandallitsfittingswitheagerattention。