The worker said something to the father, and he nodded his head and
they went from the room. Drusilla stopped at the door to take a last
look around the room, at the wondering faces of the children who
watched her with great black eyes, but who did not stop their fingers
from separating and placing the flowers together again. She saw the
babies on the floor playing quietly, as if they too were oppressed by
the tragedy that was always before them, and then she looked at the
blank wall outside the window, and it seemed to her that the lives of
these hopeless poor were like that window, only a blank wall to face.
They arrived at the Settlement house and Mrs. Harris ordered tea to be
brought to her sitting-room. She was delighted at the effect of her
visit, and her imagination ran riot in the thought of the additions
that might be made to the summer home for mothers.
Drusilla was quiet during tea, but when it was carried away she spoke.
"Now tell me about your home. You say you want to make an addition, add
an ell or something."
"Yes; we think by adding a wing we can double our capacity. But I have
the plans of the new work, and a picture and plans of the present
house."
She brought a book of views with an architect's drawings of the new
hoped-for wing, and the pictures and plans of the present house.
Drusilla drew her glasses from her bag and bent over the new plans;
then she turned her attention to the house now in use.
"You say this is where they are at present? Which is the rooms you use
for the mothers?"
The worker pointed them out.
"We have six beds in this room, and four beds in this, and five beds in
this room. In this long room we can put about twelve cots for the
children that do not have to be with their mothers during the night.
This is the dining-room; this the living-room."
Drusilla caught sight of some rooms upstairs.
"What's these three rooms. Who're they for?"
"Those are for the workers who go out for the week-end."
"What do you mean by the week-end?"
"From Saturday to Monday."
"You mean the women who work here like yourself go out there and spend
Saturday and Sunday?"
"Yes."
"But why do you need three rooms?"
"Well, you see there are a great many workers here, and they take
turns, and often three or four of them go out."
"They each have a room to themselves?"
"Yes, you see they are in the noise here all the week, and they must
have a place where they can rest and have quiet."
Drusilla looked at her sharply.
"What do you do with the rooms the rest of the time?"
"They are vacant."
"You don't put none of the mothers in 'em?"
"Certainly not. We could not use them if they had been occupied by the
class of people we send out."
"Why don't you double up when you go out, and not take so much room?
You could put four beds in that room and all be together and use them
other rooms for mothers."