im ever since it had been
put in. That hot and cold water should run together for one's
cleansing without the trouble of fetching them in heavy buckets from a
far-away kitchen, had seemed to Arethusa the acme of luxury when she
had first glimpsed the new bath-room at Timothy's.

There was but one faucet at the Farm, and that was in the kitchen, by
the sink. Miss Eliza had made this one concession to modernity because
she could not help but see that it saved a lot of bother in very cold
weather. The plumbing arrangements, however, were of the most
primitive. She scorned the suggestion that a bath-room be added; an
effete idea.

Arethusa made up her mind immediately to write Timothy of the glories
of her washing paraphernalia as being far superior to his. It was so
far superior, in fact, that there were things in that region of white
tile and flashing nickel whose specific use she failed to see. There
was nothing just like it at Timothy's.

She decided also, after a rather longer interval than usual spent on
the sofa, to take a bath this very afternoon; now, before supper time.
But the dainty little silver clock on her mantel was chiming half-past
six before she had finished her toilet; she had spent so long and
luxurious a time in that wonderful porcelain tub. And there was so much
to be admired all around her.

Her hair, to her great sorrow, she could not make stay up on top of her
head at all, and she was forced to leave it plaited down her back as of
old. She was vaguely dissatisfied with the youthful look it gave her,
so arranged, but it could not be helped. She had lost most of her
hairpins when it had tumbled down, and Miss Eliza had provided but the
one set.

She wondered why there had been no call of "Arethusa!" as when she was
late to supper at the Farm; for she must be late, very late. Six
o'clock was the supper hour at home. She hastily slipped on the skirt
to the blue suit and the pongee waist, without stopping to bother with
anything in her trunk, which had been opened and placed in her room for
her. How dreadful to be so late to her first meal!

Arethusa fairly plunged down the front stairs, but once at the bottom,
she paused uncertainly. She had no idea where the dining-room was. Then
she heard voices not far away and she followed the sound into the
library, where she found Ross and Elinor in front of a gloriously
burning wood fire. But they were both garbed in what to her
inexperienced eyes seemed