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。