Ellen pushed one
small hand into the crack and pulled it open.
Charlotte was nowhere to be seen or heard Across the hall was the door
of her room, ajar; and since doors ajar have somehow a singular charm
for babies, this one crossed to it and swung it wide.
Here was richness. This was Charlotte's workshop. She slept in a smaller
room adjoining, the baby in the crib by her side; and with that smaller
room little Ellen was familiar, but not with this. The tiny feet
travelled eagerly about, from one desirable object to another. And
presently she remembered the big, porcelain-lined bath-tub, There was
nothing Ellen liked so well as to throw things into that tub and see
them splash.
Two books crossed the hall and made the plunge, one after the other,
into the soapy water. Ellen gurgled with delight. Two more journeys
deposited a shoe, a hair-brush and a small box, contents unknown, in the
watery receptacle. Then Ellen made a discovery which filled her small
soul with joy.
Just two days before, Charlotte had completed the set of colour drawings
which delineated the wall decoration of four rooms--a "den," a
dining-room and two bedrooms.
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