oby had now got pretty well accustomed to her lodger's ways.
Her nerves had become strung to the ordeal, and she even came to like
the galvanic battery in which she dwelt, because of its being worked by
the intimate friend of her dear William; such is the power of love--we
might almost say, in this case, of reflected love! The good old lady
had even become so acute in her perceptions, that, without seeing the
"rampadger," she knew precisely the part of his daily programme with
which he happened to be engaged. Of course the snoring told its own
tale with brazen-tongued clamour, and the whole tenement trembled all
night long from top to bottom. Nothing but the regardless nature of the
surrounding population prevented the Captain from being indicted as a
nuisance; but there were other sounds that were not so easily
recognised.

On the morning in question, Mrs Roby, lying placidly in her neat white
little bed, and gazing with a sweet contented face through one of her
cabin windows at the bright blue sky, heard a sound as though a compound
animal--hog and whale--had aroused itself and rolled over on its other
side. A low whistling followed. Mrs Roby knew that the Captain was
pleasantly engaged with his thoughts--planning out the proceedings of
the day. Suddenly the whistling ceased and was followed by a sonorous
"how-ho!" terminating in a gasp worthy of an express locomotive. The
Captain had stretched himself and Mrs Roby smiled at her own thoughts,
as well she might for they embraced the idea that a twentieth part of
the force employed in that stretch would have rent in twain every
tendon, muscle, sinew, and filament in her, Mrs Roby's, body. Next,
there descended on the floor overhead a sixteen-stone cannon ball, which
caused--not the neighbours, but the boards and rafters to complain. The
Captain was up! and succeeding sounds proved that he had had another
stretch, for there was a bump in the middle of it which showed that,
forgetting his stature, the careless man had hit the ceiling with his
head. That was evidently a matter of no consequence.

From this point the boards and rafters continued to make unceasing
complaint, now creaking uneasily as if under great provocation, anon
groaning or yelling as though under insufferable torment. From the
ceiling of Mrs Roby's room numerous small bits of plaster, unable to
stand it longer, fell and powdered Mrs Roby's floor. The curtains of
her little bed saved her face