In the girls' noisy room they were playing "London Bridge" and "Kiss-in-the-Ring," but it was tame work in comparison with the uproarious diversions of the stern sex below. When the boys' boxing contest was over they had a sack race, but a small group of youngsters were observed making for the door. "W'ere you goin', 'Arry?" asked a friend. "Me? Oh. I'm goin' with Johnson." "W'ere's Johnson goin'?" "Darnstairs. Johnson's father's a 'ouse-painter, and 'e knows something, Johnson does. We promised to go an' see Millie White paint in the paintin' room. You orter see 'er dror a 'orse. I promised to 'old her cup an' Johnson's 'oldin' her paints. P'r'aps, if you come, she'll let you 'ave a brush to 'old." [Illustration: A GROUP OF ADMIRERS. _From a Photo. by George Newnes, Ltd._] This is gallantry and this is appreciation of art. Five minutes later, after seeing the champion of Byles's Rents again victorious in the sack race, we descend to the painting room to find Miss Millie White (ætat eight), the celebrated animal painter, daughter of Larry White; the well-known Shoreditch navvy, surrounded by her admirers. In another part of the same room we come upon quite an animated group of talented colourists. Some of the designs done by these children of the slums are most creditable, and at least their faces are radiant with happiness, which is the chief thing after all. The articles produced in the toy-making room are vastly ingenious. Out of the most unpromising materials--such as reels of cotton and match-boxes, fortified by cardboard and coloured paper--the most delectable toys are produced. [Illustration: THE PAINTING ROOM. _From a Photo. by George Newnes, Ltd._] [Illustration: ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS MADE BY THE CHILDREN. _From a Photo. by George Newnes, Ltd._] [Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] ARTICLES MADE BY THE CHILDREN. [_George Newnes, Ltd._ ] As the famous chef, Brillat-Savarin, could create an exquisite soup out of a kid glove and a pint of boiling water, so these tiny artisans manage to manufacture butchers' shops, chests of drawers, tables, sofas, Christmas crackers, and luxuriant flowers out of the meanest ingredients. One of the favourite diversions of the smaller children is cutting out and colouring fashion-plates, decapitating the heads and fitting on instead portraits of their favourite "great ladies" of the Happy Evenings Association which they have found in the newspapers. These are afterwards stiffened with cardboard and made to stand up in a group, which at a distance gives a very good idea of a swell reception amongst the "hupper suckles"--if it did not more nearly suggest a wax-work gathering at Madame Tussaud's. Two of these figures we photographed for THE STRAND--Lady Northcote and Lady Margaret Rice--both indefatigable workers of the Children's Happy Evenings Association. [Illustration: LADY NORTHCOTE. _As constructed by the children._]