of having a competent cook in the kitchen."

She got up and crossed the room. "Judith, what an exquisite lamp," she
observed. "I'd forgotten that you had it. Was it one of your wedding
presents?"

Judith followed her to where she stood examining an imposing,
foreign-looking lamp, with jeweled inlets in the hand-wrought metal shade.
"Yes," she said carelessly, "it's pretty enough. I don't care much for
lamps."

"Not to read by?"

"It's bright enough for anybody but a blind man to read, here." Judith
glanced at the ornate chandelier of electric lights in the centre of the
ceiling. "The rooms aren't so high that the lights are out of reach for
reading."

"But this is beautiful. Have you never used it?"

"It might be used with an electric connection, I suppose. No, I've never
used it as an oil lamp. I hate kerosene oil."

"But you have some in the house?"

"Oh, yes, I think so. Wayne insisted on getting some little hand-lamps.
Something's always happening to the wires out here. That's one of the
numerous joys of living in the suburbs."

"Let's fill this and try it," Juliet suggested, turning a pair of very
bright eyes upon her friend. "If you've never lit it I don't believe
you've half appreciated it. You're neglecting one of the prettiest sources
of decoration you have in the house. Out of sympathy for the giver,
whoever he was, you ought to let his gift have a chance to show you its
beauty."

"Stevens Cathcart gave it to us, I believe," said Judith. "Here, let me
have it. I'll fill it, since you insist. But I never thought very much of
it. It was put away in a closet until we came here. It took up so much
room I never found a place for it."

"Mr. Cathcart gave it to you? That proves my point, that it's worth
admiring. If there's a connoisseur in things of this sort, it's he. He
probably picked it up in some out-of-the-ordinary European shop."

Smiling to herself, as if something gave her satisfaction, Juliet awaited
the return of her hostess. She understood, from the manner of Judith's
exit with the lamp, that the free and easy familiarity with which guests
invaded every portion of Anthony's little home, was not to be made a
precedent for the same sort of thing in Judith's.

The lamp reappeared, accompanied by a lamentation over the disagreeable
qualities of kerosene oil for any use whatever.

"You can put electricity into this and use it as a drop-light, if you
prefer," said Juliet, as she lit it and ad