Nora stood enraptured before the tall dresser with its store of dishes and jelly moulds, then she gazed into the long, light pantry, the shelves of which were laden with materials for cooking in jars and tins and little boxes, all neatly labelled and within easy reach. On the wall were several charts--one showing the different cuts of beef and lamb, another by figures and diagrams giving the different nutritive values of different articles of food. On the walls were here and there hung various sets of maxims or rules neatly framed, among which, perhaps the most conspicuous, was: "I. Do everything in its proper time. "II. Keep everything in its proper place. "III. Put everything to its proper use." IV AN EXPLORING TOUR Examining and admiring everything in the kitchen, the girls had half forgotten Maggie, until the sound of singing attracted their attention. "'Hold the Fort,'" exclaimed Brenda; then, after listening a moment, "But no, the words sound strange." "Oh, it's one of their work songs," said Miss South, and listening again, they made it out. "Now the cleaning quite to finish, Pile up every plate, Shake the cloth, and then with neatness Fold exactly straight. Quick, but silent, every motion Taking things away, To the pantry, to the kitchen, With a little tray." "Their song betrays them," said Miss South; "this part of the work should have been done earlier," and pushing open the door that led from the other end of the pantry, the four found themselves in the girls' dining-room. "How is this?" asked Miss South so seriously that one of the young girls holding the table-cloth dropped an end suddenly, and both looked sheepish. "It was such a lovely day that we went out and sat on the back steps," said one of them frankly, "and then we forgot all about this room." "But it's the rule, is it not, to put this room in perfect order before you wash the dishes?" "Yes'm--but we forgot." "Well, I'm not here to scold, but I only wish that you had been as careful about this as about your kitchen work; I noticed that you had left everything there very neat." "Yes'm," was the answer from both girls at once. "Where's Miss Dreen, Concetta?" "Oh! she said she'd go to market right after breakfast, and leave us do what we could without her." "I understand," said Miss South, as she introduced each of the young girls to the visitors. "Miss Dreen, the housekeeper," she explained, as they turned to go upstairs, "supervises the girls in the kitchen. I suppose that she left them alone to test their sense of responsibility. She will require a report on her return." "Well, if they are as frank with her as with us, she will have little to complain of. One looked like an Italian, and I thought that they were never ready to tell the truth."