Nelly thought she did; but when pressed to define the word she found it not so easy.
"Well, now, I will tell you how a learned gentleman defined dirt. He called it 'something in the wrong place.'"
"I should think dirt was always in the wrong place," said Nelly. "I don't see how there can be any right place for dirt."
"Well, but let us see," said the old gentleman. "Now, here is the litter and stuff in the cow-house. Where it is, it is dirt,—ill-smelling, disagreeable, and bad both for Crummie's health and your own; but put on your garden and well dug in, it will become manure,—enriching the ground and helping to produce all sorts of pleasant and useful things. Look at those ends of rag and snaps of paper blowing about. Lying round as they do now, they are dirt; but put them in your rag-bag and they will help to make nice white paper. Grease makes very ugly spots on the floor or your dress; but we could have neither soap nor candles without it. Now do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Now, if I were you, I would clear out the cow-house thoroughly and spread the stuff on the land. You can either dig it in this fall or let it lie till spring; but as the ground has never been cultivated, it might be better to dig it at once, so that the frost and snow may help to mellow the soil and make it fine and fit for planting. It will be rather hard work for you, so I will let my man dig it for you the first time; after that, you must keep it in order yourself."
"I will," said Nelly. "Mrs. Caswell says she will give me some raspberry and currant bushes, and some flowers, next spring, and a vine to plant at the end of the house and run all over it, like that one on the church, which turns so red in the fall."
"My gardener shall give you a grape-vine, and that will bear fruit as well as look pretty," said Mr. Grayson. "Now, Nelly, remember what I say about keeping things neat. I shall take a look at you now and then, to see how you get along."
Nelly seemed likely to get on nicely, except that her different employments rather interfered with each other.
The next time she went down to the shop, she found no one but Mrs. Kirkland and Miss Powell, trying to wait on a whole shopful of people.