The house was a small cottage of the humblest New England type.

It had a little cobbler's-shop, or what had formerly been a cobbler's-shop, for an ell.

Besides that, there were three rooms on the ground-floor--the kitchen, the sitting-room, and a little bedroom which Henry and Sylvia occupied.
Sylvia had cooking-stoves in both the old shop and the kitchen.

The kitchen stove was kept well polished, and seldom used for cooking, except in cold weather.

In warm weather the old shop served as kitchen, and Sylvia, in deference to the high-school teacher, used to set the table in the house.
When Henry neared the house he smelled cooking in the shop.