Toast that is clammy in the middle and blackened on the outside is less wholesome than untoasted bread. Great care should therefore be taken with the drying. When this has been accomplished, lower the broiler a little nearer the coals, when the toast will quickly turn a golden brown. An ideal piece of toast is crisp and golden throughout. But many will say that they prefer toast that is soft inside, and that they cannot eat hard, dry toast. The ideal piece of toast is not really so hard as it seems. It breaks and crumbles very easily, and is quickly moistened by the saliva. If one would persevere with a slice, he would soon learn to prefer it to any other kind; at all events, that which is soft inside should not be given to the sick. It is better to make the toast dry, and then moisten it, if need be, by dipping the slices into hot water for an instant, but _do not soak them_. Dry toast should be served directly from the fire, if possible. When this is not practicable, pile it on a platter, cover it with a napkin, and put it on the hearth or in the oven. Toast is given in all slight cases of illness, because it is so easily digested. The more thorough the conversion of the starch, the more easily and perfectly the system will manage it, for the change of starch into dextrine, by the action of heat, is simply doing outside of the body that which takes place in it in the ordinary course of digestion, by the action of the digestive fluids. Therefore, when this is accomplished by artificial means, nature is spared so much energy. BUTTERED WATER TOAST Toast four thin slices of bread. Put into a shallow pan a pint of water with half a teaspoon of salt. Dip each slice quickly into the water, place it in a covered dish, and spread it with butter, piling one slice above another. Do not let the bread _soak_ in the water. Endeavor to keep a suggestion of crispness in it, for sloppy, sodden toast is not nice. Serve it _very_ hot, with apple sauce, sweet baked apples, or tart jelly. Water toast is really delicious if care is taken to have it hot. It will be eaten with relish much longer than that made with milk. MILK TOAST Put a cup of rich milk into a saucepan, and place it on the stove. While it is heating, toast three slices of bread a delicate brown. Put them one at a time into a covered dish, and when the milk is boiling hot season it with a saltspoon of salt and pour it over the bread. A little butter may be spread upon each slice before the milk is poured over, but it is a more delicate dish without it. CREAM TOAST 1 Pint of milk. 1 Tablespoon of flour. 1 Tablespoon of butter. 1 Saltspoon of salt. 4 Large or 6 small slices of bread.