CHAPTER VIII.
Trouble in the Ellis Family.
Since the receipt of Mr.Garie's letter, Mrs.Ellis and Caddy had been busily engaged in putting the house in a state of preparation for their reception.

Caddy, whilst superintending its decoration, felt herself in Elysium.

For the first time in her life she had the supreme satisfaction of having two unfortunate house-cleaners entirely at her disposal; consequently, she drove them about and worried them to an extent unparalleled in any of their former experience.

She sought for and discovered on the windows (which they had fondly regarded as miracles of cleanliness) sundry streaks and smears, and detected infinite small spots of paint and whitewash on the newly-scrubbed floors.

She followed them upstairs and downstairs, and tormented them to that extent, that Charlie gave it as his private opinion that he should not be in the least surprised, on going up there, to find that the two old women had made away with Caddy, and hidden her remains in the coal-bin.