together as
cheery and complete a kitchen as any child could desire.

Daisy stood quite still after the first glad "Oh!" but her eyes went
quickly from one charming object to another, brightening as they looked,
till they came to Aunt Jo's merry face; there they stopped as the happy
little girl hugged her, saying gratefully:

"Oh aunty, it's a splendid new play! Can I really cook at the dear
stove, and have parties and mess, and sweep, and make fires that truly
burn? I like it so much! What made you think of it?"

"Your liking to make gingersnaps with Asia made me think of it," said
Mrs. Bhaer, holding Daisy, who frisked as if she would fly. "I knew Asia
wouldn't let you mess in her kitchen very often, and it wouldn't be
safe at this fire up here, so I thought I'd see if I could find a little
stove for you, and teach you to cook; that would be fun, and useful too.
So I travelled round among the toy shops, but everything large cost too
much and I was thinking I should have to give it up, when I met Uncle
Teddy. As soon as he knew what I was about, he said he wanted to help,
and insisted on buying the biggest toy stove we could find. I scolded,
but he only laughed, and teased me about my cooking when we were young,
and said I must teach Bess as well as you, and went on buying all sorts
of nice little things for my 'cooking class' as he called it."

"I'm so glad you met him!" said Daisy, as Mrs. Jo stopped to laugh at
the memory of the funny time she had with Uncle Teddy.

"You must study hard and learn to make all kinds of things, for he says
he shall come out to tea very often, and expects something uncommonly
nice."

"It's the sweetest, dearest kitchen in the world, and I'd rather
study with it than do anything else. Can't I learn pies, and cake, and
macaroni, and everything?" cried Daisy, dancing round the room with a
new saucepan in one hand and the tiny poker in the other.

"All in good time. This is to be a useful play, I am to help you, and
you are to be my cook, so I shall tell you what to do, and show you how.
Then we shall have things fit to eat, and you will be really learning
how to cook on a small scale. I'll call you Sally, and say you are a new
girl just come," added Mrs. Jo, settling down to work, while Teddy sat
on the floor sucking his thumb, and staring at the stove as if it was a
live thing, whose appearance deeply interested him.

"That will be so lovely! What shall I do first?" asked Sally, w