A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE 173 



from a broken waterspout played separate tunes. I am 

 well used to the night-time bravado of mice, who fight 

 duels and sometimes pull shoes about, of the pranks 

 of squirrels and other little wood beasts about the floor, 

 but the noise that made me sit up in the cot and reach 

 over until I could clutch Bart by the arm belonged to 

 neither of these. There was a swishing sound, as of 

 water being wrung from something and dropping on 

 the floor, and then a human exclamation, blended of a 

 sigh, a wheeze, and a cough, at which the pup wakened 

 with a growl entirely out of proportion to his age and 

 inexperience. 



"I wonder, now, is that a dog or only uts growl ter sind 

 me back in the wet fer luv av the laugh at me ?" chirped 

 a voice as hoarse as a buttery brogue would allow it 

 to be. 



My clutch had brought Bart to himself instantly, 

 and at the words he turned the electric flashlight, 

 that lodged under his pillow, full in the direction of 

 the sound, where it developed a strange picture and 

 printed it clearly on the opposite wall. 



In the middle of the circle of light was a little barefoot 

 man, in trousers and shirt ; a pair of sodden shoes lay 

 at different angles where they had been kicked off, 

 probably making the sound that had wakened me, and at 



