Page:Far from the Maddening Girls.djvu/50

 of my time at a cellar window, especially as the one in question was designed to light the coal-bin; but I felt that the moral held good, even when applied to another story.

Then the carpenters came, and sawed, and conquered.

I soon perceived that the construction of “Sans Souci” was to be an experience in progressive emotion. I had already looked out of my own window: now I was able to walk up my own cellar stairs and watch the carpenters laying the floor. This part of the work was accomplished with the most amazing celerity, and, as I saw the progress made from day to day, I could almost believe that the obliging brownies had returned to earth, and were helping things along in the middle of the night. In reality, three weeks elapsed before the framework was boarded in; but the time seemed shorter because so many things were happening at once. Carpenters were swarming all over the house, inside and out, like