ne for a little girl, and you
must not be discouraged if it takes you quite a while to learn it well.
Keep on trying, and soon you will be a perfect waitress. Just remember
these things, anyway, and everybody will forgive you if you forget some
others:

"Be sure your hands are clean, your hair very tidy, and your apron white
and starched. Wear silent shoes, and do not clatter the dishes; do not
speak to any one, unless you do not understand what to do next, then
quietly whisper to your mother. Do not offer anybody a cup of tea or
coffee, or a plate of soup, or even a plate with food on it; set these
all down at the right. Offer platters, vegetable dishes, bread, and such
things always at the left. Change all plates at the right. While a
course is being eaten, softly carry out any soiled dishes from the
sideboard and fill the glasses. Watch to see what is needed, and offer
it. Do not offer any one what is already on his plate; that is, if you
are passing a dish all around and see that he has some of it left, skip
him and go on to the next. Now I hear Bridget coming in with the
soup-tureen; run and put on your very best apron and announce dinner as
though you were the finest waitress in the land!"

CHAPTER IV

WASHING DISHES

It was Margaret's grandmother who gave her the lesson on dish-washing.
She said it was the part of housekeeping she really liked the best of
all and did most easily, so everybody said, "Oh, well, if you really
_like_ it, perhaps you had better be the one to show Margaret how to do
it properly!" and then they all laughed.

The gingham apron with sleeves was the one Margaret put on after
breakfast. It buttoned around her wrists snugly, but on unfastening the
buttons the sleeves could be rolled up and pinned out of the way, so
they would keep clean. After she was ready the grandmother showed her
how to stand all the dining-room chairs back against the wall and take
up the crumbs under the table, pushing this to one side and then the
other, so that the rug would really be clean when they were done.

"Now," she said, "run into the kitchen and see that the table there is
quite empty, so there will be plenty of room for the dishes we are going
to bring out; bring back with you the large tray, and get out the
scraping-knife."

Margaret found that Bridget had left some pans and dishes on the table
after she had cooked the breakfast, and these she piled neatly at one
end, out of the way. The s