ech was on his tongue he
was silent, and attended Eleanor home in an unexceptionable manner.
Mrs. Esthwaite was in a dissatisfied mood of mind.

"I hope it will be a great while before you find a good chance to go to
Fiji!" she said.

"Do not wish that," said Eleanor: "for in that case I may have to take
a chance that is not good."

"Ah but, you are not the sort of person to go there."

"I should be very sorry to think that," said Eleanor smiling.

"Well it is clear you are not. Just to look at you! I am sure you are
exactly a person to look always as nice as you do now."

"I hope never to look less nice than I do now," said Eleanor, rather
opening her eyes.

"What, in that place?"

"Why yes, certainly. Why not?"

"But you will not wear that flat there?"

Eleanor and Mr. Esthwaite here both gave way in a fit of laughter.

"Why yes I will; if I find it, as I suppose I shall, the most
comfortable thing."

"But you cannot wear white dresses there?"

"If I cannot, I will submit to it, but, my dear cousin, I have brought
little else but white dresses with me. For such a climate, what else is
so good?"

"Not like that you wore yesterday?"

"They are all very much alike, I believe. What was the matter with
that?"

"Why, it was so--" Mrs. Esthwaite paused. "But how can you get them
washed? do you expect to have servants there?"

"There are plenty of servants, I believe; not very well trained,
indeed, or it would not be necessary to have so many. At any rate, they
can wash, whatever else they can do."

"I don't believe they would know how to wash your dresses."

"Then I can teach them," said Eleanor merrily.

"_You!_ To wash a cambrick dress!"

"That, or any other."

"Eleanor, do not talk so!"

"Certainly not, if you do not wish it. I was only putting you to rest
on the score of my laundry work."

"With those hands!" said Mrs. Esthwaite expressively.

Eleanor looked down at her hands, for a moment a higher and graver
expression flitted over her face, then she smiled again.

"I should be ashamed of my hands if they were good for nothing."

"Capital!" said Mr. Esthwaite. "That's what I like. That is what I call
having spirit. I like to see a woman have some character of her own;
something besides hands, in fact."

"But Eleanor, I do not understand. I am serious. You never washed; how
can you know how?"

"That was precisely my reasoning; so I learned."

"Learned to _wash?_ _You?"_

"Yes."