satisfaction.
Presently she stood up to pin her handsome silk-lined skirt about her
hips, and pushed her face veil neatly above the brim of her hat. The
water in the white enamelled kettle boiled, and Julia made tea in a blue
Japanese pot.

"This is _much_ better!" said Miss Toland again. "I get to be a perfect
barbarian--eating alone!" She rummaged in a closet. "Here's some jam
Sally sent," said she, producing it. "They are always sending me pies
and fresh eggs and jelly; they are always afraid of my starving to
death."

They began the meal again, and this time Julia joined her hostess, and
really enjoyed her tea and bread and jam. It was dark now, and they drew
the shades at the two street windows and turned on the electric light.
Julia knew by some instinct that she need not be afraid of the
gray-haired, eccentric, kindly woman opposite; in that very hour she
assumed a maternal attitude that was to be the key to her relationship
with Miss Toland for many years. The two, neither realizing it,
instantly liked each other. Never in her rather reserved little life had
Julia shown her heart as she showed it in this hour over the teacups.

"So you like it?" said Miss Toland. "It's small, but it's the most
complete thing of the kind in the State. I've been scrambling along here
as best I might for three months, but as soon as I get a resident head
worker, we'll get everything straightened out." She gave her nose a
sudden rub with her hand, frowned in a worried fashion.

"Girls--regularly appointed girls ought to take care of all this!" she
went on, indicating the kitchen with a wave of her hand. "But no! You
can't get them to systematize! Now I tell you," she added sternly, "I am
going to lay down the law in this house! They do it in other settlement
houses, and it shall be done here! Every yard of gingham, every thimble
and spool of thread, is going to be _accounted_ for! Do you suppose that
at the Telegraph Hill House they allow the children to run about
grabbing here and grabbing there--poh! They'd laugh at you!"

"Of course," said Julia vaguely.

"Classes of the smaller girls should keep this kitchen and bathroom like
a _pin_," said Miss Toland sharply. "And, as soon as we get a regular
manager in here--Now that's what I tell my sister Sally, that is Mrs.
Toland," she broke off to say. "Here's Barbara, home from a finishing
school and six months abroad. Why couldn't she step in here? But no!
Barbara'll come in now