did not
lessen its difficulties, but rather increased them tenfold. First they
took turns sweeping, as best they could, with a very ancient and frowsy
broom, the thick, moth-eaten carpet. When they had gone over it once,
and taken up what seemed like a small cart-load of dust, they found
that, after all, there remained almost as much as ever on the floor.
Cynthia was for going over it again.

"Oh, never mind it!" sighed Joyce. "My arms ache and so do yours. We'll
do it again another time. Now let's dust the furniture and pictures."
And they fell to work with whisk-broom and dust-cloths. Half an hour
later, exhausted and grimy, they dropped into chairs and surveyed the
results. It was, of course, as but a drop in the bucket, in comparison
with all the scrubbing and cleaning that was needed. Yet, little as it
was, it had already made a vast difference in the aspect of the room.
Surface dust at least had been removed, and the fine old furniture gave
a hint of its real elegance and polish. Joyce glanced at the big hanging
candelabrum and sighed with weariness. Then she suddenly remarked:

"Cynthia, we have the _dimmest_ light here with only those two candles!
Why not have some more burning?"

"We've only three left," commented Cynthia, practical as ever. "And my
pocket-money is getting low again, and you haven't any left, as usual.
So we'd better economize till allowance day!"

"Tell you what!" cried Joyce, freshly inspired. "I've the loveliest
idea! Don't you just long to know what this room would look like with
that big candelabrum going? I do. They say illumination by candle-light
is the prettiest in the world. Sometime I'm going to buy enough wax
candles to fill that whole chandelier--or candelabrum rather--and we'll
light it just once and see how it makes things look. What do you say?"

"It'll cost you a good deal more than a dollar," remarked Cynthia, after
an interval spent in calculation. "Of course I'd like to see it too, so
I'll go halves with you on the expense. And I don't believe we can get
nice _wax_ candles, only penny tallow ones. But they'll have to do. I
wonder, though, if people could see the light from the street, through
any chinks in the boarding?"

"Of course not," said Joyce. "Don't you see how all the inside shutters
are closed and the velvet curtains drawn? It isn't possible. Then we'll
have the illumination for a treat, sometime, and I'll begin to save up
for it. And I hope before that time