Come Out of the Kitchen! A Romance

								

the speaker, whispered discreetly:
"Yes, ma'am."
"What is your name?"
And at this question a curious thing happened. The butler and Reed
answered simultaneously. Only, the butler said "Jane," and Reed, with
equal conviction, said "Ellen."
Ignoring this seeming contradiction, the cook fixed her dove-like glance
on Mrs. Falkener and answered:
"My name is Jane-Ellen, ma'am."
It was impossible for even as conscientious a housekeeper as Mrs.
Falkener to be really severe with so gentle a creature, but she
contrived to say, with a certain sternness:
"I should like to see your references, Jane-Ellen."
"Oh, I'm sure that will be all right, Mrs. Falkener," said Crane
hastily. He had never removed his eyes from the face of his future cook.
But Jane-Ellen, with soft gestures of those ridiculous hands, was
already unfolding a paper, and now handed it to Mrs. Falkener.
That lady took it and held it off at arm's length while she read it.
"And who," she asked, turning to Reed, "is this Claudia Revelly? Mrs.
Revelly, I suppose?"
"Why, no," answered Reed. "No, as I told you, Mrs. Revelly is in Madeira
with her husband. This is one of the Miss Revellys."
"Humph," replied Mrs. Falkener. "It is a flattering reference, but in my
time the word 'recommend' was spelled with only one 'c.'"
The cook colored slightly and flashed a glance that might have been
interpreted as reproachful at Reed, who said hastily:
"Ah, yes, quite so. You know--the fact is--our Southern aristocracy--the
Revellys are among our very--However, there can be no question whatever
about Jane-Ellen's ability. You will, I can assure you from personal
experience, be satisfied with her cooking. Mrs. Crosslett-Billington--"
"Humph!" said Mrs. Falkener again, as one who does not mean to commit
herself. "We shall see. Let the housemaid come a little forward."
At this a young woman advanced; she bore a certain resemblance of
feature to the butler, but entirely lacked his competent alertness.
"This young woman looks to me sullen," Mrs. Falkener observed to Crane,
hardly modulating her clear, dry tone of voice.
Crane betrayed his embarrassment. He wished now that he had not invited
his elderly friend's coöperation.
"Oh," he said, "I'm sure it will be all right. It must be a trifle
annoying to be looked over like this."
"The best way to settle this sort of thing is at the start," replied
Mrs. Falkener, and turning to the housemaid, she asked her her name.
"Lily," replied the young woman, in a deep voice of annoyance.
"Lily," said Mrs. Falkener, as if this were a most unsuitable name for a
housemaid, and she looked up at Crane to confirm her opinion, but he was
again looking at the cook and did not notice her.
"Well, Lily," continued the elder lady, as if she made a distinct
concession in making use of such a name at all in addressing a servant,
"do you or do you not want to take this place? There is, I suppose,