nsideration from others! Self-love! how few, how
terribly few, are really free from it! The nature that knows how to take
a hint, how rare it is!"

Another short silence, and then: "There you go--another great bit. I
wonder you don't choke or burst! Disgusting! A good scratch all down
your horrible fat cheek is what you want, and I know some cats that
would give it you. No more notion how to behave than a cockroach."

About this time I rang the bell and the fish was taken away. The cat
went too, circling round the maid with trusting and childlike glances,
and I heard her saying in the former tone:

"Well, I daresay after all there are _some_ kind hearts in the world,
some that can feel for a poor weary creature, and know what a deal of
strength and nourishment even the least bit of fish can give----" And I
lost the rest.

When the time came and the box was open once more, I duly anointed my
eyes and went to the window. I knew something of what I might expect to
see, but I had not realized at all how much of it there would be. In the
first place there were a great many buildings, in fact a regular
village, all about the little lawn on which my window looked. They were,
of course, not big; perhaps three feet high was the largest size. The
roofs seemed to be of tiles, the walls were white, the windows were
brightly lighted, and I could see people moving about inside. But there
were plenty of people outside, too--people about six inches
high--walking about, standing about, talking, running, playing some game
which might have been hockey. These were on levelled spaces, for the
grass, neatly kept as it was, would have come half-way up their legs;
and there were some driving along smooth tracks in carriages drawn by
horses of the right size, which were really the most charming little
animals I ever saw.

You may suppose that I should not soon have got tired of watching them
and listening to the little treble buzz of voices that went on, but I
was interrupted. Just in front of me I heard what I can only call a
snigger. I looked down, and saw four heads supported by four pairs of
elbows leaning on the window-sill and looking up at me. They belonged to
four boys who were standing on the twigs of a bush that grew up against
the wall, and who seemed to be very much amused. Every now and again
one of them nudged another and pointed towards me; and then, for some
unexplained reason, they sniggered again. I felt my ears growing w