erything
thoroughly, straightened the pictures on the wall and the window-shades,
and set the chairs where they would look best. Then Margaret sat down to
rest, and her aunt finished the lesson in this way:

"A lady," she began, "no matter whether she is grown up or not, always
keeps her bedroom in beautiful order, fresh and dainty, especially the
places which do not show, like bureau drawers! Her closet has plenty of
hooks, and her gowns are kept together, each on one. Her hats are in
their boxes on the shelves, her shoes in their bag. Her bureau is
orderly, the silver clean and shining. Her hair-brush is washed at least
once a week, to keep it white and fresh, and the comb is never allowed
to have bits of hair in it, but is as clean as the brush. Her wash-stand
is always perfectly clean and tidy, and nothing is ever left about in
the room. Most important of all, the air of her room is always fresh and
sweet, because the window is left open at night and often opened during
the day for a time. Now this has been a good long lesson to-day--it's
almost noon; but if you have learned it, you have not wasted a minute of
even this nice bright Saturday. There's a prize offered by this teacher
for perfect lessons. Keep your room in order for a month, and see what
you'll find on your bureau then!"

"Oh, what?" cried Margaret, running after her Pretty Aunt as she went
out into the hall.

"Wait and see!" was all she would say, but Margaret decided to keep the
room beautifully tidy for the prize, just the same.

CHAPTER VI

SWEEPING AND DUSTING

Margaret could hardly wait for the time for her sweeping lesson, because
she wanted so much to wear her sweeping-cap. When she heard her mother
say one Saturday morning that the lesson that day would be on the care
of the parlors and hall, she asked to be excused from the
breakfast-table, and ran up and put on her long-sleeved apron and the
pretty little cap with the red bow in front, and came down proud and
smiling.

The halls and stairs were of hardwood, so Margaret selected from the
broom-closet the long-handled floor-brush, the large dust-pan and the
small one, a flat wicker beater for the rugs, the bottle of floor oil,
and the flannel cloth which was with it, a certain small dish kept
especially for the oil, and some of her new dust-cloths. She tried to
remember all the things her mother had told her to get, but, after all,
she forgot the broom, and had to go back twice