HOUSEKEEPING. 91 



very greatly depends upon the help she gets from the 

 maids, an aggravating menial is about the most trying 

 affliction possible. 



Glawthin was an admirable cook, and could easily 

 have converted many of Wildie's never-before-heard-of 

 mixtures into palatable enough food, but she didn't ; 

 and the result was very much what Wildie's pet 

 brother had anticipated, only he was good enough to 

 make no remark when there appeared some ugly- 

 coloured, sticky substance, which the inventor faintly 

 named hash, or pudding, or omelet, whichever of those 

 well-known dishes had chanced to be in her mind 

 when the mess was being fabricated. 



For a day or two our father heroically tasted every 

 dish which his girl set before him ; but on the third 

 day Nye appeared in the store-room, and insisted upon 

 directing the directress. 



There had been much conversation, but and ben, 

 about Wildie's erratic proceedings, and the authorities 

 of both departments had prompted Nye to take so 

 decided a step. Now the sole consolations attached to 

 carrying the key-basket were the liberty Wildie had to 

 exercise her inventive genius, and the knowledge of 

 power. To resign these was to give up the only 

 pleasures of her position ; so that after that visit of 

 Nye's the poor young housekeeper — such in care and 

 work only — did the duties of her humbled position 

 with even less alacrity than before. 



It would be a weary task for me to attempt telling 

 you of all the misadventures which took place during 



