upstairs." Some such little speech, with a pleasant smile, will
make all things easy for you below stairs, and for the sake of all
the friction it will save you, it is well worth the trouble. Often
the cook will be glad to do the cooking if you tell her how; be
careful to tell her, if it is eaten and enjoyed; and never let her
know if it is rejected. Get rid of it upstairs by some contrivance,
and be sure not to order that dish again. In many cases
of course the cook will know all the little dishes the sick one
will fancy, and you will have very little to do with her. Such
instances are somewhat rare, and very delightful when they occur.

If there is much extra washing, you may have to use much diplomacy
as regards the laundress; and if it is very disgusting washing, it
is well to have a large pail, with a cover, upstairs. Thoroughly
disinfect the clothes before you send them to the washing, as the
odors are often sickening, and the laundress, like other servants,
is very much afraid, usually, of clothing from a sick-bed. Carry
or send the clothes to the washing as soon as possible after
removing them from the bed; never, on any account, allow them to
remain in the room.

The nurse cannot be too careful as to the amount of clothes she
sends to the laundry. She should of course keep herself and the
patient scrupulously clean; but she must reflect that private
families do not have an unlimited store of towels and sheets, and
if she is extravagant in this matter it will seriously detract
from her acceptability.

In concluding, let me remind you that all these hints are intended
for nurses going from one strange place to another, as you would