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the dining room, a heavily carved table was set with pretty dishes. The children all agreed that it felt as if Horace and his family might sit down for dinner at any moment!
    When Gwen pushed the door of the Victorian kitchen open, she jumped in surprise.
    “Oh, Draper!” she cried. “I had no idea you were here. Is anything wrong?”
    Draper Mills had suddenly stopped in his tracks halfway across the room. When he saw the Aldens, he looked surprised, then annoyed. “I was, um . . . fixing one of the window shades,” he told Gwen in a nervous voice. “But I’ll be on my way now.” Then, with a few quick strides, he reached the door and was gone.
    “That’s odd,” said Gwen. “I didn’t know any of the shades needed fixing.” Then she added, “It’s a shame Draper’s such a shy man. I’m afraid it’s difficult for him to be around so many people.”
    Jessie nodded. “That’s what Aunt Jane said.” But she couldn’t help wondering if it was more than just shyness that had made Draper Mills rush away so quickly.
    Gwen pointed out a room just off the kitchen where the laundry was done. “This was called the scullery.”
    The Aldens looked through the door at two big tubs on either side of a wooden clothes wringer.
    “One tub was used for washing,” Gwen went on, “the other for rinsing.”
    “What’s under there?” asked Benny, pointing to where a fancy white tablecloth had been thrown over one of the washtubs.
    “Oh, that tub’s filled with old clothes,” replied Gwen. “We use the clothes in the laundry demonstration.”
    “What about this room?” asked Benny, peeking into another small room just beside the scullery.
    “That’s the pantry,” explained Gwen. “That’s where they kept the flour and sugar and everything else needed for cooking.” She glanced around. “I think the kitchen’s my favorite room in the house. And that big wood-burning stove over there,” she added with a sweep of her hand, “was a very important part of the room. It kept everyone warm and cozy during the cold winters. There’s even a water reservoir on the side of the stove. So, the family had hot water for baths and for the laundry and dishes.”
    Gwen paused. “And see those racks above the stove?”
    The Aldens looked up at the wooden poles.
    “During the winter,” Gwen went on, “the laundry was hung there to dry.”
    “Stoves sure were important back then,” observed Henry.
    Gwen smiled. “They were used for a lot more than just cooking.”
    Benny said, “I bet Mrs. McGregor would like a wood-burning stove.”
    “Mrs. McGregor’s our housekeeper,” explained Violet.
    After Gwen had taken them upstairs to see the bedrooms, Jessie said, “Thank you. That was a great tour.” And the other Aldens echoed her words. The truth was, though, Benny was a little disappointed. He was hoping to hear more about Horace Wagner and his practical jokes.
    When they returned to the office, they found Sharon dressed in Victorian costume, sitting at the table holding a small circle of cardboard by two strings. She barely looked up when the Aldens came into the room. She was busy spinning the cardboard circle around and around.
    “What is that?” Benny asked her.
    “A thaumatrope,” Sharon mumbled.
    “A thauma-what? ”
    “Thaumatrope.” Sharon let the cardboard circle slow to a stop. “See? There’s a bird on one side and an empty birdcage on the other. Now watch what happens when I twist the string.”
    Curious, the other Aldens moved closer as the string began to unwind and the circle started to spin.
    “Now the bird’s inside the cage!” cried Benny.
    “I bet it’s an optical illusion,” guessed Jessie.
    Henry agreed. “A trick of the eye.”
    With a slow smile, Sharon explained, “The bird and the cage are spinning so quickly, they look like one picture instead of two. So the bird suddenly looks as if it’s inside the cage.” She held the thaumatrope out to Benny. “You can have it if