\"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。