Ella and I quickly took care of the ironing, mending, and laundry and returned them to their proper owners. Now we were going to give Lucifer his bath.
Ella had just gotten Lucifer into the bucket when he yowled and some of the water splashed out and hit me. I let out a high-pitched scream of terror. Lucifer stared, stunned, at me and Ella quickly finished bathing him as I shook violently next to her and tears streamed down my face. Stepmother called, "What's going on down there?"
Ella called back, "Nothing, Stepmother. We're just giving Lucifer his bath."
"What was the scream about then?" she pressed.
We exchanged a glance and Ella replied, "I have no clue, Stepmother."
"Then find out," Stepmother. "And help your sister learn some respect."
Ella nodded. Then we each began our other chores. She finished work in the garden, the tapestries and draperies and cleaning the carpet in the main hallway while I finished cleaning the kitchen and the attic. While Ella began scrubbing the entryway, the music lesson began and I began scrubbing the roof. I groaned when I heard Drizella's awful—atrocious—singing.
