The presence of Mabel Watson Payne elevates the atmosphere anywhere and everywhere she goes. Of course Rome was no exception to that rule. And her pet giraffe would spread cheer on her behalf if she was busy in another room.
Rooms lighted up as soon as she entered them. (Objects also lighted up as soon as she touched them, as can be seen in the photo above, but we will explore that phenomenon in another post.) When bath time came, the kitchen sink served a higher purpose than it surely ever could have served before.
A certain spot of tile in the kitchen doorway was always peculiarly warm. This probably had to do with the hot water heaters that warmed the rooms and were fed from a boiler in the kitchen. A towel spread on this warm spot seemed to be designed as the best spot for a baby to get thoroughly dry when the bath was over.
After that, it would be time for a Roman nap on the bed made from piles of folded carpets and blankets laid out on the floor under the window in the big bedroom.
