"The Treasure" by Kathleen Thompson Norris is a novel set in a time when many families hired a maid. "The Treasure" is a maid, mentored by a housekeeping school in the same way that any other craft would be. She respects herself as well as her abilities. While she is evidently a treasure, and the family as a whole is grateful for her efforts, the mother of the family sees her skills and talents as threatening. The mother cannot imagine that a simple maid is more competent than she is.