IN TIMES OF TROUBLE 113 
A few minutes later, it occurred to me that I was 
taking a risk in leaving my camera unguarded in 
the room with the bear; so I asked my boy to run 
to the studio and let Bruno out, or bring the cam- 
era in. 
Presently I heard a shout: “Father, come quick, 
and see what Bruno’s doing.” 
I rushed back to salvage what might be left of 
the camera, for I feared the worst. My anxiety 
was groundless, however, for though the bear was 
in mischief, the camera was safe. In the few min- 
utes of my absence Bruno had rolled open the two 
heavy sliding doors and was now in the wash-room. 
There he sat in perfect contentment, in one of the 
laundry tubs, soaking in the warm water, with the 
soft clothing of the week’s wash comfortably 
settled beneath him. It was a cold February day, 
and the look of pleasure on his roguish face showed 
how much he was enjoying this midwinter luxury. 
With great composure, he sat perfectly still while 
I took his picture. 
Then, before I could slip in another plate-holder 
for a ‘second shot, he turned about and reaching 
up to the soap-tray on the wall over the tub, took 
from it a bar of yellow soap and began to wash his 
hands. I did want to get that picture; but by the 
time a new plate was in position, Bruno had 
dropped the soap into the tub. Of course, he was 
