Lyddy had something--and a very important something, she thought--on her mind. It had risen naturally out of the talk the girls had had when they first went to bed the evening before. 'Phemie had wished for a houseful of company to make Hillcrest less lonely; the older sister had seized upon the idea as a practical suggestion. Why not fill the big house--if they could? Why not enter the lists in the land-wide struggle for summer boarders? Of course, if Aunt Jane would approve. First of all, however, Lyddy wanted to see the house--the chambers upstairs especially; and she proposed to her sister, when their morning's work was done, that they make a tour of discovery. "Lead on," 'Phemie replied, eagerly. "I hope we find a softer bed than that straw mattress--and one that won't tickle so! Aunt Jane said we could do just as we pleased with things here; didn't she?" "Within reason," agreed Lyddy. "And that's all very well up to a certain point, I fancy. But I guess Aunt Jane doesn't expect us to make use of the whole house. We will probably find this west wing roomy enough for our needs, even when father comes." They ventured first up the stairs leading to the rooms in this wing. There were two nice ones here and a wide hall with windows overlooking the slope of the mountainside toward Bridleburg. They could see for miles the winding road up which they had climbed the day before. "Yes, this wing will do very nicely for _us_," Lyddy said, thinking aloud. "We can make that room downstairs where we're sleeping, our sitting-room when it comes warm weather; and that will give us all the rest of the house----" "All but the old doctor's offices," suggested 'Phemie, doubtfully. "There are three of them." "Well," returned Lyddy, "three and four are seven; and seven from twenty-two leaves fifteen. Some of the first-floor rooms we'll have to use as dining and sitting-rooms for the boarders----" "My goodness me!" exclaimed her sister, again breaking in upon her ruminations. "You've got the house full of boarders already; have you? What will Aunt Jane say?" "That we'll find out. But there ought to be at least twelve rooms to let. If there's as much furniture and stuff in all as there is in these----" "But how'll we ever get the boarders? And how'd we cook for 'em over that open fire? It's ridiculous!" declared 'Phemie. "_That_ is yet to be proved," returned her sister, unruffled. They pursued their investigation through the second-floor rooms. There were eight of them in the main part of the house and two in the east wing over the old doctor's offices. The last two were only partially furnished and had been used in their grandfather's day more for "lumber rooms" than aught else. It was evident that Dr. Phelps had demanded quiet and freedom in his own particular wing of Hillcrest.