FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
to feel bruised, and the skin of his hands was sore as a result of the rubbing on the flags. The cat and her kittens had gone to sleep and awakened again two or three times. "But it is somewhere!" he said obstinately. "It is inside the cellar. I heard something fall which was made of metal. That was the ringing sound which awakened me." When he stood up, he found his body ached and he was very tired. He stretched himself and exercised his arms and legs. "I wonder how long I have been crawling about," he thought. "But the key is in the cellar. It is in the cellar." He sat down near the cat and her family, and, laying his arm on the shelf above her, rested his head on it. He began to think of another experiment. "I am so tired, I believe I shall go to sleep again. 'Thought which Knows All'"--he was quoting something the hermit had said to Loristan in their midnight talk--"Thought which Knows All! Show me this little thing. Lead me to it when I awake." And he did fall asleep, sound and fast. He did not know that he slept all the rest of the night. But he did. When he awakened, it was daylight in the streets, and the milk-carts were beginning to jingle about, and the early postmen were knocking big double-knocks at front doors. The cat may have heard the milk-carts, but the actual fact was that she herself was hungry and wanted to go in search of food. Just as Marco lifted his head from his arm and sat up, she jumped down from her shelf and went to the door. She had expected to find it ajar as it had been before. When she found it shut, she scratched at it and was disturbed to find this of no use. Because she knew Marco was in the cellar, she felt she had a friend who would assist her, and she miauled appealingly. This reminded Marco of the key. "I will when I have found it," he said. "It is inside the cellar." The cat miauled again, this time very anxiously indeed. The kittens heard her and began to squirm and squeak piteously. "Lead me to this little thing," said Marco, as if speaking to Something in the darkness about him, and he got up. He put his hand out toward the kittens, and it touched something lying not far from them. It must have been lying near his elbow all night while he slept. It was the key! It had fallen upon the shelf, and not on the floor at all. Marco picked it up and then stood still a moment. He made the sign of the cross. Then he found his way to
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

cellar

 
awakened
 

kittens

 
Thought
 
miauled
 

inside

 

touched

 

fallen

 
disturbed
 
scratched

search
 

wanted

 

hungry

 

lifted

 

jumped

 

expected

 

squirm

 

anxiously

 
darkness
 
Something

piteously

 

squeak

 

speaking

 

friend

 

Because

 

moment

 
reminded
 
appealingly
 

picked

 
assist

exercised

 
stretched
 

ringing

 
family
 
laying
 

thought

 
crawling
 

result

 

rubbing

 
bruised

obstinately

 

rested

 

beginning

 

jingle

 

streets

 

daylight

 
postmen
 

knocking

 

knocks

 

double