ATTEMPT #2: BRIBERY
For his first attempt at getting Edith to take a bath, Gru took an extra-large cookie and took it up to the attic where the 7-year-old was hiding, as cookies were her favorite snack.
"Oh, Ediiiiiiith!" the villain called in a singsong voice, holding the cookie up for his tomboyish daughter to see. "Eef yoo take a bath, I´ll geeve yoo a coooookie!"
Edith´s silvery deep-gray eyes widened with desire from where she was hiding behind some crates, and her mouth began to water.
"No, I - must - RESIST!" the tomboy thought, fighting the powerful urge to jump out and grab the cookie from her dad.
"Mmmm," Gru teased, holding the cookie up higher. "Too bad yoo von´t take a bath, Edith, I know cookies are yur favorite!" He sniffed the cookie and sighed for effect.
Edith began to whimper like Kyle did when Agnes wouldn´t pet him, and her knees literally trembled beneath her leggings with the powerful desire to jump out and grab the cookie from her adoptive father.
"Vell, I guess eef yur not gonna take a bath I´ll just go ahead and geeve dees cookie to Agnes," Gru said pointedly, turning to the staircase leading to the hallway.
Edith pulled on the tassels of her hat, gray eyes alight with craving.
"Oh, forget it!" she thought, jumping out from behind the crates and panting on all fours like a dog.
Chuckling, Gru led his daughter to the girls´ bathroom on the third floor, whereupon he gave her the cookie to munch on (which she did with a blissful look on her face, as if nothing else in the world mattered) while he drew her bath, added bubble soap, etc.
It wasn't ´til she finished her cookie that Edith finally realized what her dad was doing.
"NO, Daddy! I´m NOT taking a bath," the blonde 7-year-old stated, stomping her foot and folding her arms, despite the fact that she now had chocolate chip cookie on her face in addition to the mud that caked her arms, boots, skirt, and sweater.
"Yes yoo are!" Gru snapped, reaching for his middle child.
But Edith had already bolted out the door.