a tattered Gown!--A pleasant Meditation on a classic
Past very rudely, unexpectedly, and even savagely interrupted, and
likely to terminate in a Tragedy!--Perilous Position of David and
Clive._

Fortunately, no bones were broken. The Italian slowly picked
himself up, and casting a stupid look at the boys, moved slowly
away, leaving the occupants of the standing there in their
night-clothes, and earnestly discussing the question,--How in the
world did the goat get there?

This was indeed a knotty question, till at length it was unravelled
by Uncle Moses.

"Wal, I declar," said he, "ef I didn't go an leave the door open."

"You!" cried all.

"Yes," said he. "You see it was dreadful close an suffocatin last
night; so when you went to bed, I jest left that door open to cool
off. Then I went off to bed, and forgot all about it."

That was clear enough as far as it went, but still it did not
account for the presence of a goat in the sixth story of a hotel.
This they found out afterwards. That very day they saw flocks of
goats being driven about from house to house. At other times they
saw goats in their own hotel. They were hoisted up to the various
stories, milked, and left to find their way down themselves. The
fashion of using goat's milk was universal, and this was the simple
way in which families were supplied. As to their visitor, the billy
goat, he was undoubtedly the patriarch of some flock, who had
wandered up stairs himself, perhaps in a fit of idle curiosity.

"If it hadn't been dark," said Frank. "If it hadn't been so abominably
dark!"

"We were like Ajax," said David,--who was a bit of a pedant, and
dealt largely in classical allusions,--"we were like Ajax, you
know:--

'Give as but light, and let as _see_ our foes,
We'll bravely fall, though Jove himself oppose.'"

"O, that's all very well," said Uncle Moses; "but who's goin to
pay for all that thar furnitoor? The goat can't."

"Uncle Moses," said Bob, gravely, "there's a great deal in what
you say."

Uncle Moses turned away with a look of concern in his mild face,
and retreated into his room.

(It may as well be stated here, that Uncle Moses had to pay for
that furniture. The landlord called up an interpreter, and they
had a long and somewhat exciting interview. It ended in the landlord's
recovering a sum of money which was sufficient to furnish a whole
suit of apartments in another part of the house.)

Being now fairly introduced t