nitting-work, intending to keep herself awake while she sat up by
knitting. When she came back into the room, she began to look for a
comfortable seat. She finally decided on taking the sofa.

Mary Bell, after using the sofa for Malleville while she was making the
bed, had put it back into its place by the side of the room. Hepzibah,
however, easily brought it forward again, for it trundled very smooth
and noiselessly upon its castors. Hepzibah brought the sofa up to the
fire, placing one end of it near to the stand, in order that she might
have the benefit of the lamp in case of dropping a stitch. She prepared
the medicine for Malleville by mixing it properly with water in a little
cup, and put it upon the stand, so that it should be all ready to be
administered when the time should come, and then sat down upon the sofa,
next to the sofa cushions, which were upon the end of the sofa, between
herself and the light.

Things went on very well for almost half an hour, but then Hepzibah,
being pretty tired in consequence of her long day's work, and of her
want of rest the night before, began to grow sleepy. Twice her
knitting-work dropped out of her hands. The dropping of the
knitting-work waked her the first and second time that it occurred. But
the third time it did not wake her. After falling half over and
recovering herself two or three times, she at length sank down upon the
cushions, with her head upon the uppermost of them, and there in a short
time she was fast asleep.

She remained in this condition for nearly two hours, Malleville in her
bed sleeping all the time quietly too. When Malleville went to sleep,
she did so resolving not to wake up for her medicine. She did not
resolve not to _take_ it, if any one else waked her up for it, but she
determined not to wake up for it of her own accord. Whether this had any
influence in prolonging her sleep it would be difficult to say. She did,
however, sleep very soundly, and without changing her position at all,
until a little after eleven o'clock, when she began to move her head and
her arms a little, and presently she opened her eyes.

She looked around the room and saw nobody. The light was burning, though
rather dimly, and the fire had nearly gone out. She sat up in the bed,
and after a few minutes' pause, she said in a gentle voice, as if
speaking to herself:

'I wish there was somebody here to give me a drink of water.' Then,
after waiting for a moment, she adde