ing to do it right.
Better make a regular house-cleaning party of it."

"Goodness, what have I strayed into?" Charity Biglow stood in the lower
hall staring at the younger Ralestones as they came through from the
kitchen. They had both changed into their oldest and least respectable
clothes. Ricky, in fact, was wearing a pair of Val's slacks and one of
Rupert's shirts, and they were burdened with a broom which was long past
its youth, several smaller brushes, and a great bundle of floor-cloths.

"We've found a secret room--" began Ricky.

"As one door has been in plain sight since the building of this house,
it could hardly be called a secret room," Val objected.

"Well, we didn't know it was there until Satan found the back entrance
for us. And now we're going to clean it out. It's full of furniture and
boxes and things."

"Don't!" Charity held up a paint-streaked hand. "You will have me
drooling in a moment. I don't suppose you could use another assistant?
After all, it was my cat who found it for you. If you can provide me
with a set of those weird coverings which seem to be your house-cleaning
uniforms, I would just love to wield a broom in your company."

"The more the merrier," laughed Ricky. "I think Val has another pair of
slacks--"

"That's right, dispose of my wardrobe before my face," he commented,
balancing his load more carefully in preparation for climbing the
stairs. "Only spare my white flannels, please. I'm saving those for the
occasion when I can play the country gentleman in style."

Upstairs he braced open the hall door of the storage-room. The open
windows had cleared the air within but they were too high and too small
to admit enough light to reach the far corners. It would be best, they
decided, to carry each box and piece of furniture to the hall for
examination. With the zeal of treasure hunters they set to work.

Some time later, when Val was coaxing the second box through the door,
they were interrupted.

"And just what is going on here?" Rupert stood at the end of the hall.

"Oh," Ricky smiled sweetly, "did we really disturb you?"

"Well, I did think that there was a troop of elephants doing tap dancing
up here. But that isn't the point--just _what_ are you doing?"

"Cleaning house." Ricky flicked a gray rag in his direction freeing a
cloud of dust. "Don't you think it needs it?"

Rupert sneezed. "It seems so. But why--? Miss Biglow!"

Charity, extremely dirty--she had appare