ing of an effort....

Little by little, however, his eyebrows came down, remained down, and
his eyes closed....

He awoke again at a sound. The candle was still burning, but his
mistress had rolled over on to her side and seemed to be talking gently
to herself. Then she was over again on this side, and a minute later was
out of bed, and walking to and fro noiselessly on the soft carpet.

He watched her with interest, his eyes only following her. He had never
yet fully understood this mysterious change of aspect that took place
every night--the white thin dress, the altered appearance of the head,
and--most mysterious of all--the two white things that ought to be feet,
but were no longer hard and black. He had licked one of them once
tentatively, and had found that the effect was that it had curled up
suddenly; there had been a sound as of pain overhead, and a swift slap
had descended upon him.

He was observing these things now--to and fro, to and fro--and his eyes
moved with them.

* * * * *

After a certain space of time the movement stopped. She was standing
still near a carved desk--important because a mouse had once been
described sitting beneath it; and she stood so long that his eyes began
to blink once more. Then there was a rustle of paper being torn, and he
was alert again in a moment. Perhaps paper would be thrown for him
presently....

She came across to the hearth-rug, and he was up, watching her hands,
while his own short tail flickered three or four times in invitation.
But it was no good: the ball was crumpled up and thrown on to the red
logs. There was a "whup" from the fire and a flame shot up. He looked at
this carefully with his head on one side, and again lay down to watch
it. His mistress was standing quite still, watching it with him.

Then, as the flame died down, she turned abruptly, went straight back to
the bed, got into it, drew the clothes over her and blew the candle out.

* * * * *

After a few moments steady staring at the fire, he perceived that a part
of the ball of paper had rolled out on to the stone hearth unburned. He
looked at it for some while, wondering whether it was worth getting up
for. Certainly the warmth was delicious and the sheepskin exquisitely
soft.

There was no sound from the bed. A complete and absolute silence had
succeeded to all the restlessness.

Finally he concluded that it was impossib