me, won't you, Jill, dear? but you know you are _so_ practical,
and I _do_ hope you won't forget the esthetic needs of home
life. Your loving cousin, BET."

"Let's give up the hall fireplace," said Jack.

[Illustration: HEAT FROM ALL SIDES.]

"By no means; our hall is large and needs a fireplace--one that will
not smoke and will warm not only the hall in very cold weather, but the
whole house when it isn't quite cold enough for steam. The sides and
back will be of iron with an air-chamber behind them, into which fresh
air will be brought from out of doors and come out well warmed at the
sides." (Jill's idea was something like the above figure for the plan.)

"It will be a capital ventilator, too, for the centre of the house.
There will be a damper in the hearth to let the ashes down into the
ash-pit. I suppose a stove would answer, but this will be better
because it won't have to be blacked, and it will last as long as the
house."

"How will it look standing out there all alone by itself?"

"Haven't I told you, my dear, that whatever _is_ well looks well?"

"Yes, but it takes a mighty faith to believe it, and I'm not even a
mustard-seed. What is the little room in the southwest corner for?"

"That is the library, and for an ordinary family it is large enough. It
is twelve feet by fourteen. It will hold three or four thousand books,