The room they were in was a large square room, and off it was a room that corresponded with the drawing-room below, having equally with it the only bow window in the house, and commanding a country view over some green fields.
It was full of lumber—of old maps, school-books, &c.,—and, as is often the case where no womanly eye is there to interfere, various accumulations it was nobody's business to look after, had gathered there.
Broken china and broken chairs, some old prints, with their glasses broken also. Whatever happened was there concealed from Mr. Sandford's view.
"We will clear this out," said Grace, "put it to rights, and make this our sitting-room."
But she found her determination confronted at the very outset by Mr. Sandford's opposition.
"Is the drawing-room not big enough for you? What do you want a sitting room for? You should be glad enough to have a good warm room; let it be, I am not going to have the house upset by you or any one else."
"But we want a place where we can work and not mind making a litter," urged Grace, "and we can do it ourselves."
"Leave it alone," he said, gruffly, and he walked out of the room.
Grace made a gesture of despair.
"Here will be a more difficult task than I thought," she said, pathetically, to her sister. "Is it not hard that I should have so much trouble at the very beginning?"