Molly then went out to join Harry in the little garden. She had her trunks to unpack, and contents to arrange in the bureau drawers, but she meant to devote half an hour to her husband, on this first day of their home life.
“Well, Molly, my dear, I begin to think I like housekeeping.”
“I knew you would, Harry, but remember we have only just begun, and hitches will come sometimes, but even at the worst that need be, with moderate care, I think you would not go back to our one room again, and the routine meals.”
“No; I begin to feel some of the aspirations of proprietorship, and to wish this little place were mine.”
“I am so glad, Harry, because if you go on thinking so, in spring we can get a similar place of our own.”
When they had walked and talked till Harry said he was going in to write letters, Molly returned to the house, and found Marta in grand confusion washing glasses, silver, and greasy dishes all together.
“Oh, Marta! I must show you a better way than that. Take those things out of the dish-pan. Get clean hot water and a little soap, so. Now take glasses first; roll them round and put them in this empty dish-pan. Now the silver. Put the greasy dishes in, and leave them while you pour nearly boiling water over the silver and glass. Now bring the waiter and wipe each article as it comes out of that hot water. You see it takes only a minute; being hot they hardly dampen the cloth.
“Now set those dry things on a tray, and wash the greasy dishes, using more soap if the water does not lather; slip each dish into this hot water, and wipe them out of it directly; don’t drain them, and then wipe them half cold.”
When she had thus straightened Marta out, and set her to make up the fire and sweep the kitchen, she went up to her unpacking and other arrangements.