hy, it's what you think, dear. How's she seem?"

"She's competent enough--seems to know all about children, and I think
she'd be strong and willing. She's clean as a pink, too. And she'd come
for thirty and would be perfectly contented, because she lives right
near here--that house just before you come to Emville which says
Chickens and Carpentering Done Here--don't you know? She has a widowed
sister who would come and stay with her at night when we're away." Mrs.
Tressady summed it up slowly.

"Why not try her then, dear? By the way, what's her name?"

"Darling--Belle Darling."

"Tell her I'm English," said Mr. Porter, rapturously, "and that over
there we call servants--"

"No, but Jerry,"--Mrs. Tressady was serious,--"would you? She's so
utterly untrained. That's the one thing against her. She hasn't the
faintest idea of the way a servant should act. She told me she just
loved the way I wore my hair, and she said she wanted me to meet her
friend. Then she asked me, 'Who'd you name him Timothy for?'"

"Oh, you'd tame her fast enough. Just begin by snubbing her every
chance you get--"

"I see it!" laughed Mrs. Porter, for Mrs. Tressady was a woman full of
theories about the sisterhood of woman, about equality, about a fair
chance for every one--and had never been known to hurt any one's
feelings in the entire course of her life.

Just here Belle stepped through one of the drawing-room French windows,
with dewy, delicious Timothy, in faded pale-blue sleeping-wear, in her
arms.

"This darling little feller was crying," said Belle, "and I guess he
wants some din-din--don't you, lover? Shall I step out and tell one of
those Chinese boys to get it? Listen! From now on I'll have mamma save
all the banty eggs for you, Timmy, and some day I'll take you down
there and show you the rabbits, darling. Would you like that?"

Molly glanced helplessly at her husband.

"How soon could you come, Belle?" asked Jerry, and that settled it. He
had interpreted his wife's look and assumed the responsibility. Molly
found herself glad.

Belle came two days later, with every evidence of content. It soon
became evident that she had adopted the family and considered herself
adopted in turn. Her buoyant voice seemed to leap out of every opened
door. She rose above her duties and floated along on a constant stream
of joyous talk.

"We're going to have fried chicken and strawberries--my favorite
dinner!" said Belle when Molly was sho