it."

"I don't expect to take care of it alone."

"I know you don't, but I should want to take care of my own house, if I
had one, every bit of it. Oh, you needn't look so amazed. I know what I
am saying. I have learned to cook, and dust, and sweep, and kindle
fires, and polish, silver, and--and black stoves!"

No wonder Jill was dumb while Bessie went on at a breathless rate.

"And do you know, Jill dear, I wouldn't take this house if you would
give it to me. There! I would a thousand times rather have a little bit
of a cottage, just large enough for--for two people, and everything in
it just as cosy and simple as it could be. Then we--then I could learn
to paint and decorate--I've learned a little already--and embroider and
such things, and slowly, very slowly, you know, I would fill the house
with pretty things that would belong to it and be a part of it, and a
part of me, too, because I made them."

"Wouldn't it be much cheaper and better to hire some skillful artist to
do these things?" said Jill, taking refuge in matter-of-fact.

[Illustration: THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE HOUSE THAT JILL BUILT.]

"If I hired any one of course it would be an artist, but our homes are
not dear to us because they are beautiful, it is because they are
_ours_, because we have worked for them and in them until they are a
part of ourselves. I love artistic things as well as I ever did, but
there are some things that are ten thousand times lovelier."

Before Jill had recovered from her astonishment at Bessie's transformed
sentiments or imagined their cause, who should drive up but Aunt
Jerusha. She and Bessie had never met before, but the mysterious laws
of affinity, that pay no regard to outward circumstances or
expectations, brought them at once into the warmest sympathy. Jill had
provided extremely pretty china for her table, and for Bessie's sake
had brought out certain rare pieces not intended for every-day use. It
was contrary to her rule to make any difference between "every-day" and
"company days." "Nothing is too good for Jack," was the basis of her
argument. The one exception was china. But Bessie was absolutely
indifferent to the frail and costly pottery. She was intent on learning
domestic wisdom from Aunt Jerusha, and insisted upon writing in her
note-book the recipes for everything she ate and recording the rules
for carrying on whatever household matters chanced to be mentioned,
from waxing floors to canning tomatoes. J