"There is, if we each take a room to ourself," said Mr. Fairfield. "You
may have this parlour, my daughter, and I'll take the library. Where is
the library, Miss Russell?"

"I think it has just stepped out," said Frank; "at any rate, it isn't on
this floor; there's only this room, and the dining-room, and a kitchen
cupboard."

"Very likely the library is on the third floor," said Marian; "that would
be convenient."

"There isn't any third floor," explained Laura. "This is what they call
a story-and-a-half house."

"It would have to be expanded into a serial story, then, before it would
do for us," said Mr. Fairfield. "We may not be such big people, but Patty
and I have a pretty large estimate of ourselves, and I am sure we never
could live in such a short-story-and-a-half as this seems to be."

"Indeed, we couldn't, papa," said Patty. "Just look at this dining-room.
I'm sure it's only big enough for one. We would have to have our meals
alternately; you could have breakfast, and I would have dinner one day,
and the next day we'd reverse the order."

"Come, look at the kitchen, Patty," called out Frank; "or at least stick
your head in; there isn't room for all of you. See the stationary tubs.
Two of them, you see; each just the size of a good comfortable
coffee-cup."

"Just exactly," said Patty, laughing; "why, I never saw such a house.