e daughter's enthusiastic progress.
One reason that Rosemary practised so steadily through the warm
weather in spite of discouragement was her determination to surprise
her mother by her improvement when that dear lady came back to them.

"It's a shame you have all the beds to do, Rosemary," said Winnie,
coming up for a salve from the medicine closet in the bathroom and
discovering Rosemary wearily putting the bedrooms to rights. "I've
burned my finger on that silly hot water heater again. I've told the
doctor and told him to have the plumber stop in and fix it, but he
forgets every time."

"I'll telephone Mr. Mertz," said Rosemary absently.

"You ought to make Sarah do her part," went on Winnie, spreading
salve on a piece of gauze and binding it around her finger. "I'm
tired trying to get any help from her. And Miss Trudy wants
ice-water every minute of the day and if I don't get it for her she
comes out to the refrigerator and wastes half a block, hacking it.
Shirley wants nothing but hot breads and meat and first thing we
know she'll be sick on our hands."

Winnie sat on the edge of the bath-tub and let her mind dwell on her
woes. Rosemary tried to listen sympathetically, but she was warm and
tired and if Winnie would only go perhaps she could finish the rooms
in time to read a little before lunch. The afternoon would have to
be given over to her delayed practising.

"Well, I'm going down stairs," said Winnie, putting the salve jar
back on its shelf, "and all we're going to have for lunch is tomato
salad and bread and butter. If any one doesn't like it, they can
leave it; I'm not going to spend any time fussing with special
dishes this kind of weather."

Rosemary's practising that afternoon was interrupted several times
by the telephone, twice for the wrong number. Aunt Trudy, with the
air of a martyr, took her sewing out under the horse chestnut tree,
Sarah and Shirley went to a neighbor's to play and Winnie announced
that she intended to take a nap. So there was no one to answer the
bells except Rosemary. By the time she had jumped up to be asked "Is
this the grocery store?" once or twice, had admitted the butcher boy
with fresh meat which must be put on the ice and had been summoned
three times by Aunt Trudy to thread her needle--for glasses,
declared her aunt made her warmer in summer and she would not wear
them--Rosemary's temper was fraying sadly.

"Rosemary," said Aunt Trudy, coming into the living ro