, but she felt she had done enough for
one night and closed the door gently.

As she turned to walk back down the hall, she stopped suddenly. Far
away in the dark gleamed two yellow spots. Chills ran up her back, and
then she told herself, "It's the cat."

Slowly she walked towards the bright spots which never moved as she
neared them. Then the rays from her candle fell upon the cat crouched
in the middle of the hall.

"What are you doing, spying on me like this!" said Hortense severely.

The cat said not a word. He merely stared at her with his bright yellow
eyes for a moment; then he yawned, rose slowly and stretched himself,
and turning, walked with dignity down the stairs. Hortense followed,
but not once did the cat look back at her.

On the second floor Hortense stopped and watched the cat. When he was
lost to sight in the hall below, she went to her room and carefully
closed the door behind her.

She placed her candle on a stand beside the bed and proceeded to look
around. The room seemed much bigger now than in the afternoon. The
ceiling seemed lost in shadow far above, and the corners were all dark.
There were three stiff chairs, a table, a dresser, and a highboy.

The highboy was tall and slim. The light from the candle made him seem
very melancholy and sad, ridiculously so, Hortense thought.

"You are funny looking," said Hortense aloud.

The highboy, she thought, regarded her reproachfully.

"Why don't you speak?" said Hortense, "instead of looking so
woebegone."

"You'll only make fun of me," said Highboy in a tearful voice.

"No, I won't," Hortense replied, "not if you'll try to look and talk a
bit cheerful."

"That's easy to say," said Highboy, "but you don't have to stay in this
room day and night with nobody to talk to. It gets on my nerves."

"I'll talk to you," said Hortense, "but you should cultivate a cheerful
disposition. I like bright people."

"Then you'd better talk with my brother, Lowboy," said Highboy tartly.
"He's always cheery. Nothing depresses me so much as people who are
always cheerful. Tiresome, I say."

"You could learn much from your brother," said Hortense severely. "Why
don't you go down and see him now? I'm sure it would do you good."

Highboy shivered.

"It's so cold and dark in the hall," he said. "I almost never dare go
except on bright warm nights in summer. Of course I daren't go in the
daytime."

"No, I suppose not," said Hortense. "However, I'll go wi