第7章

"It’stheprettiestthingIeversaw，"shesaid。"Look，Diantha;here’sforsoup，here’sforwater——orwineifyouwant，allyourknivesandforksattheside，Japanesenapkinsuphere。Itslovely，but——Ishouldthink——expensive！"

Mrs。Weatherstonesmiled。"I’vehadtwenty—fiveofthemmade。Theycost，withthefittings，$100apiece，$2，500。Iwillrentthemtoyou，MissBell，atarateof10percent。interest;only$250ayear！"

"Itoughttotakemore，"saidMrs。Bell，"there’llbebreakageandwaste。"

"Youcan’tbreakthem，Itellyou，"saidthecheerfulvisitor，"anddentscanbesmoothedoutinanytinshop——you’llhavetopayforit;——willthatsatisfyyou？"

Dianthawaslookingather，hereyesdeepwithgratitude。"I——youknowwhatIthinkofyou！"shesaid。

Mrs。Weatherstonelaughed。"I’mnotthroughyet，"shesaid。"Lookatmynextpieceofimpudence！"Thiswasonlyonpaper，butthepictureswereamplyilluminating。

"Iwenttoseveralfactories，"shegleefullyexplained，"hereandabroad。AYankeefirmbuiltit。It’sinmygaragenow！"

Itwasalightgasolenemotorwagon，thebodybuiltlikethoseold—fashionedmovingwagonswhichwerealsousedforexcursions，whereinthefloorofthevehiclewasrathernarrow，andsetlow，andtheseatsranlengthwise，wideningoutoverthewheels;onlyherethewheelswerelower，andinthespaceundertheseatsranarowoflockersopeningoutside。Mrs。Weatherstonesmiledtriumphantly。

"Now，DianthaBell，"shesaid，"here’ssomethingyouhaven’tthoughtof，Idobelieve！Thisestimablevehiclewillcarrythirtypeopleinsideeasily，"andsheshowedthemhoweachsideheldtwelve，andturn—upseatsaccommodatedsixmore;"andoutside，"——sheshowedthelengthwisepicture——"itcarriestwenty—fourcontainers。Ifyouwanttosendallyourtwenty—fiveatonce，onecangoherebythedriver。

"Nowthen。Thisisnotanobligation，MissBell，itisanothervaluableinvestment。I’mhavingmoremade。Iexpecttohaveusefortheminagoodmanyplaces。Thiscostprettynear$3，000，andyougetitatthesamegoodinterest，for$300ayear。What’smore，ifyouaresmartenough——andIdon’tdoubtyouare，——youcanbuythewholethingoninstallments，sameasyoumeantowithyourfurniture。"

Dianthawasdumb，buthermotherwasn’t。ShethankedMrs。Weatherstonewithaheartyappreciationofheropportunehelp，butnolessofherexcellentinvestment。

"Don’tbeagoose，Diantha，"shesaid。"Youwillsetupyourfoodbusinessinfirstclassstyle，andIthinkyoucancarryitsuccessfully。ButMrs。Weatherstone’sright;she’sgotanewinvestmentherethat’llpayherbetterthanmostothers——andbeagrowingthingI

dobelieve。"

AndstillDianthafounditdifficulttoexpressherfeelings。Shehadlivedunderagooddealofstrainformanymonthsnow，andthissuddenopeningoutofherplanswasaheavenlyhelpindeed。

Mrs。Weatherstonewentaroundthetableandsatbyher。"Child，"saidshe，"youdon’tbegintorealizewhatyou’vedoneforme——andforIsobel——andforeversomanyinthistown，andallovertheworld。Andbesides，don’tyouthinkanybodyelsecanseeyourdream？Wecan’t_do_

itasyoucan，butwecanseewhatit’sgoingtomean，——andwe’llhelpifwecan。Youwouldn’tgrudgeusthat，wouldyou？"

Asaresultofallthisthecookedfooddeliveryservicewasopenedatonce。

"Itistruethatthetouristsaregone，mostly，"saidMrs。Weatherstone，assheurgedit，"butyouseethereareeversomanyresidentswhohavemoretroublewithservantsinsummerthantheydoinwinter，andhatetohaveafireinthehouse，too。"

SoDiantha’scircularshadanaddition，forthwith。

TheseweredistributedamongtheOrchardinians，settingtheirtongueswagginganew，asafreshbreezestirstheeavesoftheforest。

Thestealthyinroadsoflunchesandeveningrefreshmentshadbeendeprecatedalready;thisnewkindofservantwhowasn’taservant，butheldherheaduplikeanyoneelse（"Theyareasindependentas——as——’salesladies，’"saidonecritic），wasalsoviewedwithalarm;

butwheneventhisdomesticassistantwastoberemoved，andasquarecaseoffoodanddishessubstituted，allArchaicOrchardinawashorrified。

Therewereplentyofnewmindsintheplace，however;enoughtostartDianthawithsevenfullordersandfivepartialones。

Herworkattheclubwasnowmucheasier，thankstohermother’sassistance，tothesmootherrunningofallthemachinerywiththepassingoftime，andfurthertothefactthatmostofhergirlswerenowworkingatsummerresorts，forshorterhoursandhigherwages。Theypaidfortheirroomsattheclubstill，buttheworkofthehousewassomuchlightenedthateachoftheemployeeswasgiventwoweeksofvacation——onfullpay。

Thelunchdepartmentkeptonaprettyregularbasisfromthepatronageofresidentbusinessmen，andtheyoungmanager——inherambitiousmoments——plannedforenlargingitinthewinter。Butduringthesummerherwholeenergieswenttoperfectingthe_menus_andtheserviceofherfooddelivery。

Mrs。Pornewastheveryfirsttoorder。Shehadbeenwaitingimpatientlyforachancetotrytheplan，and，withherhusband，hadthefirmestfaithinDiantha’scapacitytocarryitthrough。

"Wedon’tsavemuchinmoney，"sheexplainedtotheeagerMrs。Ree，whohovered，fascinated，overthedangeroustopic，"butwedoincomfort，I

cantellyou。YouseeIhadtwogirls，paidthem$12aweek;nowIkeepjusttheone，for$6。Myfoodandfuelforthefourofus（Idon’tcountthebabieseithertime——theyremainasbefore），wasallof$16，oftenmore。Thatmade$28aweek。NowIpayforthreemealsaday，delivered，forthreeofus，$15aweek——withthenurse’swages，$21。

ThenIpayalaundressoneday，$2，andhertwomeals，$。50，making$23。50。ThenIhavetwomaids，foranhouraday，toclean;$。50adayforsixdays，$3，andonemaidSunday，$。25。$26。75inall。Soweonlymake$1。25。

_But！_there’sanotherroom！Wehavethecook’sroomforanextraguest;Iuseitmostforasewingroom，thoughandthekitchenisasortofdaynurserynow。Thehouseseemsasbigagain！"

"Butthefood？"eagerlyinquiredMrs。Ree。"Isitasgoodasyourown？

Isithotandtempting？"

Mrs。Reewasfascinatedbythenewheresy。AsastaunchadherentoftheoldHomeandCultureClub，anditsolderideals，shedisapprovedoftheundertaking，buthercuriositywaskeenaboutit。

Mrs。Pornesmiledpatiently。"YourememberDianthaBell’scookingIamsure，Mrs。Ree，"shesaid。"AndJuliannausedtocookfordinnerparties——whenonecouldgether。MySwedewasaveryordinarycook，asmostoftheseuntrainedgirlsare。Dotakeoffyourhatandhavedinnerwithus，——I’llshowyou，"urgedMrs。Porne。

"I——OImustn’t，"flutteredthelittlewoman。"They’llexpectmeathome——and——surelyyour——supply——doesn’tallowforguests？"

"We’llarrangeallthatby’phone，"herhostessexplained;andshepromptlysentwordtotheReehousehold，thencalledupUnionHouseandorderedoneextradinner。

"Isit——I’mdreadfullyrudeIknow，butI’m_so_interested！Isit——expensive？"

Mrs。Pornesmiled。"Haven’tyouseenthelittlecircular？Here’sone，’Extramealstoregularpatrons25cents。’Andnomoretroubletoorderthantotellamaid。"

Mrs。ReehadalivelysenseofpalteringwithSatanasshesatdowntothePorne’sdinnertable。Shehadseenthedeliverywagondrivetothedoor，hadheardthemandepositsomethingheavyonthebackporch，andwasnowconfrontedbyabutler’strayatMrs。Porne’sleft，whereonstoodaneatsquareshiningobjectwithsilverypanelsandbambootrimmings。

"It’snotatallbadlooking，isit？"sheventured。

"Notbadenoughtospoilone’sappetite，"Mr。Pornecheerilyagreed。

"Open，Sesame！Nowyouknowtheworst。"

Mrs。Porneopenedit，andaninnerfrontwasshown，withvarioussmalldoorsanddrawers。

"Doyouknowwhatisinit？"askedtheguest。

"No，thankgoodness，Idon’t，"repliedherhostess。"Ifthere’sanythingtiresomeitistoordermealsandalwaysknowwhat’scoming！

That’swhatmengetsotiredofatrestaurants;whattheyhatesowhentheirwivesaskthemwhattheywantfordinner。NowIcanenjoymydinneratmyowntable，justasifIwasaguest。"

"Itis——atax——sometimes，"Mrs。Reeadmitted，addinghastily，"Butoneisgladtodoit——tomakehomeattractive。"

Mr。Porne’seyessoughthiswife’s，andloveandcontentmentflashedbetweenthem，asshequietlysetuponthetablethreesilveryplates。

"Notsilver，surely！"saidMrs。Ree，liftinghers，"Oh，aluminum。"

"Aluminum，silverplated，"saidMr。Porne。"They’velearnedhowtodoitatlast。It’saproblemofweight，yousee，andbreakage。Aluminumisn’tpretty，glassandsilverareheavy，butwealllovesilver，andthere’sapleasantsenseofgorgeousnessinthisoutfit。"

Itdidlookratherimpressive;silvertumblers，silverdishes，thewholedaintyservice——andsosurprisinglylight。

"Youseesheknowsthatitisveryimportanttopleasetheeyeaswellasthepalate，"saidMr。Porne。"Nowspeakingofpalates，letusallkeepsilentandtastethissoup。"Theydidkeepsilentinsupremecontentmentwhilethesouplasted。Mrs。Reelaiddownherspoonwiththeairofonerousedfromalovelydream。

"Why——why——it’slikeParis，"shesaidinanawedtone。

"Isn’tit？"Mr。Porneagreed，"andnottwicealikeinamonth，Ithink。"

"Why，therearen’tthirtykindsofsoup，arethere？"sheurged。

"Ineverthoughttherewerewhenwekeptservants，"saidhe。"Threewasabouttheirlimit，andgreasy，atthat。"

Mrs。Porneslippedthesoupplatesbackintheirplaceandservedthemeat。

"Shedoesnotgiveafishcourse，doesshe？"Mrs。Reeobserved。

"Notatthetabled’hoteprice，"Mrs。Porneanswered。"Weneverpretendedtohaveafishcourseourselves——doyou？"Mrs。Reedidnot，andeagerlydisclaimedanydesireforfish。Themeatwasroastbeef，thinlysliced，hotandjuicy。

"Don’tyoumissthecarving，Mr。Porne？"askedthevisitor。"Idosolovetoseeamanattheheadofhisowntable，carving。"

"Idomissit，Mrs。Ree。Imissiteverydayofmylifewithdevoutthankfulness。Ineverwasagoodcarver，soitwasnopleasuretometoshowoff;andtotellyouthetruth，whenIcometothetable，Iliketoeat——notsawwood。"AndMr。Porneatewitheveryappearanceofsatisfaction。

"WenevergetroastbeeflikethisI’msure，"Mrs。Reeadmitted，"wecan’tgetitsmallenoughforourfamily。"

"Andalittleroastisalwaysspoiledinthecooking。Yesthisisfarbetterthanweusedtohave，"agreedherhostess。

Mrs。Reeenjoyedeverymouthfulofhermeal。Thesoupwashot。Thesaladwascrispandtheicecreamhard。Therewasspongecake，thick，light，withsugarfrecklesonthedarkcrust。Thecoffeewasperfectandalmostburnedthetongue。

"Idon’tunderstandabouttheheatandcold，"shesaid;andtheyshowedhertheasbestos—linedcompartmentsandperfectlyfittingplacesforeachdishandplate。Everythingwentbackoutofsight;smallleavingsinaspecialdrawer，knivesandforksheldfirmlybyrubberfittings，nothingthatshookorrattled。Andthecasewassetbackbythedoorwherethemancalledforitateighto’clock。

"Shedoesn’tfurnishtablelinen？"

"No，thereareJapanesenapkinsatthetophere。Welikeourownnapkins，andwedidn’tuseacloth，anyway。"

"Andhowaboutsilver？"

"Weputoursaway。Thisplatedwaretheyfurnishisperfectlygood。Wecoulduseoursofcourseifwewantedtowashit。Somedothatandsomehavetheirowncasemarked，andtheirownsilverinit，butit’sagooddealofrisk，Ithink，thoughtheyareextremelycareful。"

Mrs。Reeexperiencedpeculiarlymixedfeelings。Asfarasfoodwent，shehadnevereatenabetterdinner。ButhersenseofDomesticAestheticswasjarred。

"Itcertainlytastesgood，"shesaid。"Delicious，infact。Iamextremelyobligedtoyou，Mrs。Porne，I’dnoideaitcouldbesentsofarandbesogood。Andonlyfivedollarsaweek，yousay？"

"Foreachperson，yes。"

"Idon’tseehowshedoesit。Allthosecasesanddishes，andthedeliverywagon！"

ThatwastheuniversalcommentinOrchardinacirclesasthemonthspassedandUnionHousecontinuedinexistence——"Idon’tseehowshedoesit！"

WHATDIANTHADID

CHAPTERXII

LIKEABANYANTREE

TheEarth—Plantsspringupfrombeneath，TheAir—Plantsswingdownfromabove，ButtheBanyantreesgrowBothaboveandbelow，Andonemakesaprosperousgrove。

InthefleetingopportunitiesofferedbytheCaffeteria，andinlongermoments，ratherneatlyplannedfor，withsomeremnantsofanearlieringenuity，Mr。ThaddlercontrivedtobecomeacquaintedwithMrs。Bell。

Dianthaneverquitelikedhim，buthewonhermother’sheartbyfrankpraiseofthegirlandherventures。

"Ineversawasmarterwomaninmylife，"hesaid;"andnoairs。Itellyou，ma’am，iftherewasmorelikeherthisworldwouldbeaneasierplacetolivein，andIcanseesheowesitalltoyou，ma’am。"

Thisthemotherwouldneveradmitforamoment，butexpatiatedloyallyonthescientificmindofMr。HendersonBell，stillofJopalez。

"Idon’tseehowhecanbeartoletheroutofhissight，"saidMr。

Thaddler。

"Ofcoursehehatedtolethergo，"repliedthelady。"Webothdid。

Butheisveryproudofhernow。"

"Iguessthere’ssomebodyelsewho’sproudofher，too，"hesuggested。

"Excuseme，ma’am，Idon’tmeantointrude，butweknowtheremustbeagoodreasonforyourdaughterkeepingallOrchardinaatadistance。

Why，shecouldhavemarriedsixtimesoverinherfirstyearhere！"

"Shedoesnotwishtogiveupherwork，"Mrs。Bellexplained。

"Ofcoursenot;andwhyshouldshe？Nice，womanlybusiness，Iamsure。

Ihopenobody’dexpectagirlwhocankeephouseforawholetownshiptosettledowntobossingonemanandahiredgirl。"

Incourseoftimehegotaprettyclearnotionofhowmattersstood，andmeditateduponit，seriouslyrollinghisbigcigaraboutbetweenpursedlips。Mr。Thaddlerwasagooddealofagossip，butthishekepttohimself，anddidwhathecouldtoenlargethepatronageofUnionHouse。

Thebusinessgrew。Ithelditsowninspiteoffluctuations，andafteracertainpointbegantospreadsteadily。Mrs。Bell’scomingandMr。

Eltwood’sardentchampionship，togetherwithMr。Thaddler’s，quietedthedangerousslanderswhichhadimperilledtheplaceatonetime。Theylingered，subterraneously，ofcourse。Peopleneverforgetslanders。A

scoreofyearsafterthereweretobefoundinOrchardinafolkwhostillwhisperedaboutdarkallegationsconcerningUnionHouse;andthepapershaddonesomeprettyseriousdamage;butthefameofgoodfood，goodservice，cheapnessandefficiencymadesteadyheadway。

Inviewoftheincreaseandoftheplansstillworkinginhermind，DianthamadecertainpropositionstoMr。Porne，andalsotoMrs。Porne，inregardtoanew，speciallybuiltclub—houseforthegirls。

"Ihaveprovedwhattheycando，withmetomanagethem，andwantnowtoprovethattheycandoitthemselves，withanymatroncompetenttofollowmydirections。Thehouseneednotbesoexpensive;onebigdining—room，withturn—uptableslikethoseironing—boardseat—tables，youknow——thentheycandancethere。Smallreceptionroomandoffice，hall，kitchenandlaundry，andthirtybedrooms，fortybythirty，withan"ell"forthelaundry，oughttodoit，oughtn’tit？"

Mrs。Porneagreedtomakeplans，anddidsomostsuccessfully，andMr。

Pornefoundsmalldifficultyinpersuadinganinvestortoputupsuchahouse，whichvisiblycouldbeusedasaboarding—houseorsmallhotel，ifitfailedinitsfirstpurpose。

Itwasbuiltofconcrete，aplainsimplestructure，butfineinproportionsandpleasantlycolored。

Dianthakeptherplanstoherself，asusual，buttheygrewsofastthatshefeltaspeciesofterrorsometimes，lesttheicebreaksomewhere。

"Steady，now！"shewouldsay。"Thisisrealbusiness，justplainbusiness。There’snoreasonwhyIshouldn’tsucceedaswellasFredHarvey。Iwillsucceed。Iamsucceeding。"

Shekeptwell，sheworkedhard，shewasmorethangladtohavehermotherwithher;butshewantedsomethingelse，whichseemedfartheroffthanever。Herlover’spicturehungonthewallofherbedroom，stoodonherbureau，and（butthiswasasecret）asmallonewascarriedinherbosom。

Ratheragrimlookingyoungwoman，Diantha，withthecaresoftheworldofhouse—keepersuponherproudyoungshoulders;withallthestirringhopestobekeptwithinbounds，alltheskulkingfearstoberesisted，andthegrowingburdenofalargeaffairtobecarriedsteadily。

Butwhenshewoke，inthebrilliantCaliforniamornings，shewouldliestillafewmomentslookingatthefaceonthewallandthefaceonthebureau;woulddrawthelittlepictureoutfromunderherpillowandkissit，wouldsaytoherselfforthethousandthtime，"Itisforhim，too。"

Shemissedhim，always。

Theveryvigorofhergeneralattitude，thecontinuedstrengthwithwhichshemetthedaysandcarriedthem，madeitallthemoreneedfulforhertohavesomeonewithwhomshecouldforgeteverycare，everypurpose，everyeffort;someonewhowouldputstrongarmsaroundherandcallher"LittleGirl。"Hisletterswerebothacomfortandapain。Hewasloyal，kind，loving，butalwaysthatwallofdisapproval。Helovedher，hedidnotloveherwork。

Shereadthemoverandover，huntinganewforthetenderphrases，thethingswhichseemedmosttofeedandcomforther。Shesufferednotonlyfromherloneliness，butfromhis;andmostkeenlyfromhissternlysuppressedlongingforfreedomandtheworkthatbelongedtohim。

"Whycan’thesee，"shewouldsaytoherself，"thatifthissucceeds，hecandohiswork;thatIcanmakeitpossibleforhim？Andhewon’tletme。Hewon’ttakeitfromme。Whyaremensoproud？Isthereanythingsoignominiousaboutawomanthatitisdisgracefultoletonehelpyou？

Andwhycan’thethinkatallabouttheothers？It’snotjustus，it’sallpeople。Ifthisworks，menwillhaveeasiertimes，aswellaswomen。Everybodycandotheirrealworkbetterwiththisoldprimitivebusinessoncesetright。"

Andthenitwasalwaystimetogetup，ortimetogotobed，ortimetoattendtosomeofthenumberlessdetailsofheraffairs。

Sheandhermotherhadanearlylunchbeforethecaffeteriaopened，andweregladoftheafternoontea，oftenheldinaretiredcornerofthebroadpiazza。Shesatthereonehot，dustyafternoon，aloneandunusuallytired。Theasphaltedstreetwasglaringandnoisy，thecrossstreetdeepinsoftdust，formonthsunwet。

Failurehadnotdiscouragedher，butincreasingsuccesswithallitsstimulusandsatisfactioncalledformoreandmorepower。Hermindwasbusyforeseeing，arranging，providingforemergencies;andthenthewholethingslippedawayfromher，shedroppedherheaduponherarmforamoment，ontheedgeoftheteatable，andwishedforRoss。

Fromdownthestreetandupthestreetatthismoment，twomenwerecoming;bothyoung，bothtall，bothgoodlooking，bothapparentlyapproachingUnionHouse。Oneofthemwasthenearer，andhisfootsoonsoundedonthewoodenstep。Theotherstoppedandlookedinashopwindow。

Dianthastartedup，cameforward，——itwasMr。Eltwood。Shehadavaguesenseofdisappointment，butreceivedhimcordially。Hestoodthere，hishatoff，holdingherhandforalongmoment，andgazingatherwithevidentadmiration。Theyturnedandsatdownintheshadowofthereed—curtainedcorner。

Themanattheshopwindowturned，too，andwentaway。

Mr。EltwoodhadbeenawarmfriendandcordialsupporterfromtheepochoftheClub—splittingspeech。Hehadhelpedmateriallyintheslow，up—hilldaysofthegirl’seffort，withfaithandkindwords。Hehadmetthemother’scomingwithmostfriendlyadvances，andMrs。Bellfoundherselfmuchathomeinhisliberallittlechurch。

Dianthahadgrowntolikeandtrusthimmuch。

"What’sthisaboutthenewhouse，MissBell？YourmothersaysImayknow。"

"Whynot？"shesaid。"Youhavefollowedthisthingfromthefirst。

Sugarorlemon？YouseeIwanttodisentangletheundertakings，setthemupontheirownseparatefeet，andestablishthepracticalworkingofeachone。"

"Isee，"hesaid，"and’dayservice’isnot’cookedfooddelivery。’"

"Noryet’roomsforentertainment，’sheagreed。"We’vegotthemalllabelled，motherandI。There’sthe’d。s。’and’c。f。d。’and’r。f。

e。’andthe’p。p。’That’spicnicsandparties。Andmorecoming。"

"What，moreyet？You’llkillyourself，MissBell。Don’tgotoofast。

Youaredoingagreatworkforhumanity。Whynottakealittlemoretime？"

"IwanttodoitasquicklyasIcan，forreasons，"answeredDiantha。

Mr。Eltwoodlookedatherwithtenderunderstanding。"Idon’twanttointrudeanyfurtherthanyouarewillingtowantme，"hesaid，"butsometimesIthinkthatevenyou——strongasyouare——wouldbebetterforsomehelp。"

Shedidnotcontradicthim。Herhandswereinherlap，hereyesonthewornboardsofthepiazzafloor。Shedidnotseeamanpassontheothersideofthestreet，castasearchingglanceacrossandwalkquicklyonagain。

"Ifyouwerequitefreetogoonwithyourbeautifulwork，"saidMr。

Eltwoodslowly，"ifyouwereofferedheartiestappreciation，profoundrespect，aswellaslove，ofcourse;wouldyouobjecttomarrying，MissBell？"askedinanevenvoice，asifitwereamatterofmetaphysicalinquiry。Mrs。Pornehadtoldhimofhertheoryastoaloverinthehometown，wishingtosavehimalongheartache，buthewasnotsureofit，andhewantedtobe。

Dianthaglancedquicklyathim，andfelttheemotionunderhisquietwords。Shewithdrewhereyes，lookingquitetheotherway。

"Youareenoughofafriendtoknow，Mr。Eltwood，"shesaid，"Iratherthoughtyoudidknow。Iamengaged。"

"Thankyoufortellingme;someoneisgreatlytobecongratulated，"hespokesincerely，andtalkedquietlyonaboutlesspersonalmatters，holdinghisteauntastedtillitwascold。

"Doletmegiveyousomethatishot，"shesaidatlast，"andletmethankyoufrommyheartforthehelpandstrengthandcomfortyouhavebeentome，Mr。Eltwood。"

"I’mveryglad，"hesaid;andagain，"Iamveryglad。""YoumaycountuponanythingIcandoforyou，always，"hecontinued。"Iamproudtobeyourfriend。"

Heheldherhandoncemoreforamoment，andwentawaywithhisheadupandafirmstep。Toonewhowatchedhimgo，hehadalmostatriumphantair，butitwasnottriumph，onlythebravebeginningofahardfightandalongone。

ThencameMrs。Bell，returnedfromashoppingtrip，andsankdowninawickerrocker，gladoftheshadeandacupoftea。No，shedidn’twantiticed。"Hotteamakesyoucooler，"washertheory。

"Youdon’tlookverytired，"saidthegirl。"Seemstomeyougetstrongerallthetime。"

"Ido，"saidhermother。"Youdon’trealize，youcan’trealize，Diantha，whatthismeanstome。OfcoursetoyouIamanoldwoman，abacknumber——onehastofeelsoaboutone’smother。IdidwhenI

married，andmymotherthenwasfiveyearsyoungerthanIamnow。"

"Idon’tthinkyouold，mother，notabitofit。Yououghttohavetwentyorthirtyyearsoflifebeforeyou，reallife。"

"That’sjustwhatI’mfeeling，"saidMrs。Bell，"asifI’djustbeguntolive！Thisisso_different！_Thereisabig，movingthingtoworkfor。Thereis——whyDiantha，youwouldn’tbelievewhatacomfortitistometofeelthatmyworkhereis——really——addingtotheprofits！"

Dianthalaughedaloud。

"Youdearolddarling，"shesaid，"Ishouldthinkitwas！Itis_making_theprofits。"

"Anditgrowsso，"hermotherwenton。"Here’sthispartsowellassuredthatyou’resettingupthenewUnionHouse！Areyou_sure_

aboutMrs。Jessup，dear？"

"AssureasIcanbeofanyonetillI’vetriedalongtime。ShehasdoneallI’veaskedhertohere，anddoneitwell。Besides，Imeantokeepahandonitforayearortwoyet——Ican’taffordtohavethatfail。"

Mrs。Jessupwasanimportedaunt，belongingtooneofthecleverestgirls，andDianthahadhadherintrainingforsomeweeks。

"Well，Iguessshe’sasgoodasanyyou’dbelikelytoget，"Mrs。Belladmitted，"andwemustn’texpectparagons。Ifthiscan’tbedonebyanaveragebunchofworkingwomentheworldover，itcan’tbedone——that’sall！"

"Itcanbedone，"saidthegirl，calmly。"Itwillbedone。Yousee。"

"Mr。Thaddlersaysyoucouldrunanykindofabusinessyousetyourhandto，"hermotherwenton。"Hehasaprofoundrespectforyourabilities，Dina。"

"SeemstomeyouandMr。Thaddlerhaveagooddealtosaytoeachother，motherkins。Ibelieveyouenjoythatcaffeteriadesk，andallthecomplimentsyouget。"

"Ido，"saidMrs。Bellstoutly。"Idoindeed！Why，Ihaven’tseensomanymen，tospeakto，since——why，neverinmylife！Andtheyareveryamusing——someofthem。Theyliketocomehere——likeitimmensely。AndIdon’twonder。Ibelieveyou’lldowelltoenlarge。"

Thentheyplungedintoadiscussionofthewinter’splans。ThedayservicedepartmentanditsemploymentagencywastogoonattheNewUnionHouse，withMrs。Jessupasmanager;thepresentestablishmentwastoberunasahotelandrestaurant，andthedepotforthecookedfooddelivery。

Mrs。Thorvaldandherhusbandwereinstalledbythemselvesinanothernewventure;asmalllaundryoutsidethetown。Thisplaceemployedseveralgirlssteadily，andthemotorwagonfoundanewusebetweenmeals，incollectinganddeliveringlaundryparcels。

"Itsimplifiesitalot——togetthewashingoutoftheplaceandthegirlsoffmymind，"saidDiantha。"NowImeantobuckledownandlearnthehotelbusiness——thoroughly，anddevelopthiscookedfooddeliverytoperfection。"

"Modestyounglady，"smiledhermother。"Wheredoyoumeantostop——ifever？"

"Idon’tmeantostoptillI’mdead，"Dianthaanswered;"butIdon’tmeantoundertakeanymoretrades，ifthatiswhatyoumean。YouknowwhatI’mafter——toget’housework’onabusinessbasis，that’sall;andprove，prove，PROVEwhatagoodbusinessitis。There’sthecleaningbranch——that’sallstartedandgoingwellinthedayservice。There’sthewashing——that’ssimpleandeasy。Laundrywork’snomystery。Butthefoodpartisabigthing。It’sanart，ascience，abusiness，andahandicraft。Ihadthehandicrafttostartwith;I’mlearningthebusiness;butI’vegotalottolearnyetinthescienceandartofit。"

"Don’tdotoomuchatonce，"hermotherurged。"You’vegottocatertopeopleastheyare。"

"Iknowit，"thegirlagreed。"Theymustbeled，stepbystep——thenaturalmethod。It’sabigjob，butnottoobig。Outofallthewomenwhohavedonehouseworkforsomanyages，surelyit’snottoomuchtoexpectonetohaveaspecialgeniusforit！"

Hermothergazedatherwithlovingadmiration。

"That’sjustwhatyouhave，Dina——aspecialgeniusforhousework。I

wishthereweremoreofyou！"

"Thereareplentyofme，motherdear，onlytheyhaven’tcomeout。AssoonasIshow’emhowtomakethethingpay，you’llfindthatwehaveabigpercentageofthiskindofability。It’sallburiednowintheoccasional’perfecthousekeeper。’

"Buttheywon’tleavetheirhusbands，Dina。"

"Theydon’tneedto，"thegirlansweredcheerfully。"Someofthemaren’tmarriedyet;someofthemhavelosttheirhusbands，and_some_ofthem"——shesaidthisalittlebitterly——"havehusbandswhowillbewillingtolettheirwivesgrow。"

"Notmany，I’mafraid，"saidMrs。Bell，alsowithsomegloom。

Dianthalightenedupagain。"Anyhow，hereyouare，motherdear！AndforthisyearIproposethatyouassumethefinancialmanagementofthewholebusinessatasalaryof$1，000’andfound。’Howdoesthatsuityou？"

Mrs。Belllookedatherunbelievingly。

"Youcan’taffordit，Dina！"

"Oh，yes，Ican——youknowIcan，becauseyou’vegottheaccounts。I’mgoingtomakebigmoneythisyear。"

"Butyou’llneedit。Thishotelandrestaurantbusinessmaynotdowell。"

"Now，mother，you_know_we’redoingwell。Lookhere！"AndDianthaproducedhernote—book。

"Here’sthelittlelaundryplace;itsfittingscometosomuch，wagessomuch，collectionanddeliverysomuch，suppliessomuch——andalreadyenoughpatronageengagedtocover。Itwillbebiggerinwinter，alot，withtransients，andthishoteltofallbackon;oughttoclearatleastathousandayear。Theserviceclubdon’tpaymeanything，ofcourse;

thatisforthegirls’benefit;butthefooddeliveryisdoingbetterthanIdaredhope。"

Mrs。BellknewthefiguresbetterthanDiantha，even，andtheywentoverthemcarefullyagain。Ifthewinter’spatronageheldontoequalthesummer’s——andthemanytransientresidentsoughttoincreaseit——theywouldhaveanaverageoftwentyfamiliesaweektoprovidefor——onehundredpersons。

Theexpenseswere：

Foodfor100at$250aweek。Percapita。$600

———

peryear$13，000

Labor——deliveryman。$600

Headcook。$600

Twoassistantcooks。$1，040

Threewashersandpackers。$1，560

Officegirl。$520

———

Peryear$4，320

Rent，kitchen，office，etc。$500

Rentofmotor。$300

Rentofcases。$250

Gasoleneandrepairs。$630

———

Peryear$1，680

Total。$19，000

"Howdoyoumakethegasoleneandrepairsasmuchasthat？"askedMrs。

Bell。

"It’smargin，mother——makesitevenmoney。Itwon’tbesomuch，probably。"

Theincomewassimpleandsufficient。Theycharged$5。00aweekpercapitaforthreemeals，tabled’hote，deliveredthricedaily。Frequentordersforextramealsreallygavethemmorethantheysetdown，butthehundred—personestimateamountedto$26，000ayear。

"Now，see，"saidDianthatriumphantly;"subtractallthatexpenselist（anditisaliberalone），andwehave$7，000left。Icanbuythecarandthecasesthisyearandhave$1，600over！More;becauseifIdobuythemIcanleaveoffsomeoftheinterest，andtherentofkitchenandofficecomestoUnionHouse！Thenthere’salloftheextraorders。

It’sgoingtopaysplendidly，mother！Itclears$70ayearperperson。

Nextyearitwillclearalotmore。"

ItdidnottakelongtomakeMrs。BelladmitthatifthebusinesswentonasithadbeengoingDianthawouldbeabletopayherasalaryofathousanddollars，andhavefivehundredleft——fromthefoodbusinessalone。

Thereremainedthehotel，withlargepossibilities。ThepresentsimplefurnishingsweretobemovedovertoNewUnionHouse，andpaidforbythegirlsinduetime。Withnewpaint，paper，andfurniture，theoldhousewouldmakeaverycomfortableplace。

"Ofcourse，it’stherestaurantmainly——thesebigkitchensandthecentrallocationarethemainthing。Theguestswillbemostlytourists，Isuppose。"

Dianthadweltupontheprospectatsomelength;andevenhercautiousmotherhadtoadmitthatunlesstherewassomesetbacktheyearhadaprospectoflargesuccess。

"Howaboutallthisnewfurnishing？"Mrs。Bellsaidsuddenly。"Howdoyoucoverthat？Takewhatyou’vegotaheadnow？"

"Yes;there’splenty，"saidDiantha。"Yousee，thereisallUnionHousehasmade，andthissummer’sprofitonthecookedfood——it’splenty。"

"Thenyoucan’tpayforthemotorandcasesasyouplanned，"hermotherinsisted。

"No，notunlessthehotelandrestaurantpaysenoughtomakegood。ButIdon’t_have_tobuythemthefirstyear。IfIdon’t，thereis$5，500

leeway。"

"Yes，youaresafeenough;there’sover$4，000inthebanknow，"Mrs。

Belladmitted。"But，child，"shesaidsuddenly，"yourfather！"

"Yes，I’vethoughtoffather，"saidthegirl，"andImeantoaskhimtocomeandliveatthehotel。Ithinkhe’dlikeit。Hecouldmeetpeopleandtalkabouthisideas，andI’msureI’dliketohavehim。"

"Theytalkedmuchandlongaboutthis，tilltheeveningsettledaboutthem，tilltheyhadtheirquietsupper，andthegirlscamehometotheirnoisyone;andlatethatevening，whenallwasstillagain，Dianthacametothedimpiazzacorneroncemoreandsattherequitealone。

Fullofhope，fullofcourage，sureofherprogress——andachingwithloneliness。

Shesatwithherheadinherhands，andtoherearscamesuddenlythesoundofafamiliarstep——awell—knownvoice——thehandsandthelipsofherlover。

"Diantha！"Heheldherclose。

"Oh，Ross！Ross！Darling！Isittrue？Whendidyoucome？Oh，I’msoglad！So_glad_toseeyou！"

Shewassogladthatshehadtocryalittleonhisshoulder，whichheseemedtothoroughlyenjoy。

"I’vegoodnewsforyou，littlegirl，"hesaid。"Goodnewsatlast！

Listen，dear;don’tcry。There’sanendinsight。Amanhasboughtoutmyshop。Theincubusisoff——Ican_live_now！"

Heheldhisheadupinafinetriumph，andshewatchedhimadoringly。

"Didyou——wasitprofitable？"sheasked。

"It’sallexchange，andsomecashtoboot。Justthink！YouknowwhatI’vewantedsolong——aranch。Abigonethatwouldkeepusall，andletmegoonwithmywork。And，dear——I’vegotit！It’sabigfruitranch，withitsownwater——thinkofthat！Andavegetablegarden，too，andsmallfruit，andeverything。And，what’sbetter，it’sallingoodrunningorder，withacompetentranchman，andtwoChinesewhorentthevegetablepart。Andtherearetwohousesonit——_two_。Oneformotherandthegirls，andoneforus！"

Diantha’sheartstirredsuddenly。

"Whereisit，dear？"shewhispered。

Helaughedjoyfully。"It’s_here！"_hesaid。"Abouteightmilesorsoout，upbythemountains;hasalittlecanyonofitsown——itsownlittlestreamandreservoir。Oh，mydarling！Mydarling！"

Theysatinhappysilenceintheperfumednight。Thestrongarmswerearoundher，thebigshouldertoleanon，thedearvoicetocallher"littlegirl。"

Theyearofseparationvanishedfromtheirthoughts，andthelongyearsofcompanionshipopenedbrightandgloriousbeforethem。

"Icamethisafternoon，"hesaidatlength，"butIsawanothermancoming。Hegotherefirst。Ithought——"

"Ross！Youdidn’t！Andyou’veleftmetogowithoutyouallthesehours！"

"HelookedsoconfidentwhenhewentawaythatIwasjealous，"Rossadmitted，"furiouslyjealous。Andthenyourmotherwashere，andthenthosecacklinggirls。Iwantedyou——alone。"

Andthenhehadher，alone，forotherquiet，happymoments。Shewassogladofhim。Herholduponhishand，uponhiscoat，wastight。

"Idon’tknowhowI’velivedwithoutyou，"shesaidsoftly。

"NorI，"saidhe。"Ihaven’tlived。Itisn’tlife——withoutyou。Well，dearest，itneedn’tbemuchlonger。Weclosedthedealthisafternoon。

Icamedownheretoseetheplace，and——incidentally——toseeyou！"

Moresilence。

"Ishallturnoverthestoreatonce。Itwon’ttakelongtomoveandsettle;there’senoughmoneyovertodothat。Andtheranchpays，Diantha！Itreally_pays，_andwillcarryusall。Howlongwillittakeyoutogetoutofthis？"

"Getoutof——what？"shefaltered。

"Why，thewholeabominablebusinessyou’resodeepinhere。ThankGod，there’snoshadowofneedforitanymore！"

Thegirl’sfacewentwhite，buthecouldnotseeit。Shewouldnotbelievehim。

"Why，dear，"shesaid，"ifyourranchisasnearasthatitwouldbeperfectlyeasyformetocomeintothebusiness——withacar。Icanaffordacarsoon。"

"ButItellyouthere’snoneedanymore，"saidhe。"Don’tyouunderstand？Thisisapayingfruitranch，withlandrentedtoadvantage，andacompetentmanagerrightthererunningit。It’ssimplychangedowners。I’mtheownernow！There’stwoorthreethousandayeartobemadeonit——hasbeenmadeonit！Thereisahomeformypeople——ahomeforus！Oh，mybelovedgirl！Mydarling！Myownsweetheart！Surelyyouwon’trefusemenow！"

Diantha’sheadswamdizzily。

"Ross，"sheurged，"youdon’tunderstand！I’vebuiltupagoodbusinesshere——arealsuccessfulbusiness。Motherisinit;father’stocomedown;thereisabigpatronage;itgrows。Ican’tgiveitup！"

"Notforme？NotwhenIcanofferyouahomeatlast？NotwhenIshowyouthatthereisnolongeranyneedofyourearningmoney？"hesaidhotly。

"But，dear——dear！"sheprotested。"Itisn’tforthemoney;itistheworkIwanttodo——itismywork！Youaresohappynowthatyoucandoyourwork——atlast！Thisismine！"

Whenhespokeagainhisvoicewaslowandstern。

"Doyoumeanthatyoulove——yourwork——betterthanyouloveme？"

"No！Itisn’tthat！That’snotfair！"criedthegirl。"Doyouloveyourworkbetterthanyouloveme？Ofcoursenot！Youloveboth。SodoI。Can’tyousee？WhyshouldIhavetogiveupanything？"

"Youdonothaveto，"hesaidpatiently。"Icannotcompelyoutomarryme。Butnow，whenatlast——aftertheseawfulyears——Icanreallyofferyouahome——yourefuse！"

"Ihavenotrefused，"shesaidslowly。

Hisvoicelightenedagain。

"Ah，dearest！Andyouwillnot！Youwillmarryme？"

"Iwillmarryyou，Ross！"

"Andwhen？When，dearest？"

"Assoonasyouareready。"

"But——canyoudropthisatonce？"

"Ishallnotdropit。"

Hervoicewaslow，verylow，butclearandsteady。