CAMP 8 AT U 111) AY 83 



to tlie iiiaiii liouse by a covered passageway, and was 

 quite like a separate building. When the Doctor 

 unlocked the door, the light was so dim that all the 

 children could see was the outline of an enormous 

 chimney, that seemed to be quite in the centre of the 

 room. In a moment, however. Rod came in and threw 

 open the shutters. 



"AVhy, father," said Olive, "1 never saw such a 

 chimney anywhere before. How did it come here? 

 Was it put up first and then the room built around it? " 



Indeed, the chinniey was almost as large as a small 

 room ; the open fireplace on one side would allow half 

 a dozen people to sit around the fire, while on the oppo- 

 site part there was a little iron door. 



" What is this ?" asked Dodo, prompt!}^ opening it. 



'' That was the brick oven where the pies and bread 

 used to be baked in the olden time." 



'' But it has a stone floor and is so far from the fire I 

 should think it would have taken most forever for the 

 heat to liave gone through ; and it's very big." 



" The heat didn't come from the fireplace," said 

 Olive. '' People used to fill the oven with wood, a 

 great many hours before they wanted to bake, and then 

 when the stones were very hot they would sAveep out 

 all the cinders and ashes and pop in the bread and 

 things. Tlie oven was made large so that they might 

 save trouble by baking a quantity of food at once." 



" Why, then, in those old times living was something 

 like camping out, wasn't it. Uncle Roy?" said Nat. 



" Very much, but it made the people quick-witted, 

 hardy, and self-reliant, ready for any emergency that 

 might liappen, just as the wild out-door life does." 



