CHAPTER XXIII. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



" Hamlet. — A man may Bah with the worm (hat hath eal of a king j an<l 



eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. 

 KlNO. — What ilo'st tlmu mean by tins? 

 Hamlet. — Nothing hut to sliow you how a ting may go a progress through 



ill. uuts of a beggar."— Shakespeabe. 



Did you ever watch amadavats going to bed ? It is a provoking 

 sight, because they take such a long time tucking themselves in. 

 F( s, they tuck themselves in, it is a fact ; and they do it in a very 

 provoking way, provoking to their neighbours as well as to 

 spectators. They all perch huddled together in a row, and seem 

 to be arranging it comfortably enough for all parties when just as 



" Tired nature's sweet restorer ' balmy sleep,' 

 • * • his ready visit pays, 

 Where fortuue smiles," 



the unfortunate amadavat at the outside awakes to a sense of 

 his weather side, which is exposed, being colder than his lea 

 side, which is against his neighbour's ribs, and suddenly jumping 

 up runs along the backs of his sleeping neighbours, and wriggles 

 himself in, in the middle. This half wakes and annoys every 

 one, and they all Look cross about, but shortly get over it, and 

 are just comfortably off to Bleep again, when amadavat No. 2 at 

 each end discovers that the absence of an outside neighbour, and 

 consequent exposure to the elements, have similarly seduced his 

 weather side of its caloric, and convinced him thai amadavat No. 1 

 was Dot such a fool as he looked after all, so he, too, jumps up 

 impulsively, scuttles along the backs of his fellows, and tucks 

 himself in, in the middle. And BO the tucking-in process goes on 

 as one outsider after another cools down, and wants a warm place 

 in the middle of the row, till it is too provoking to look at any 

 longer. Fancy fellows with long claws running over your head 

 all night long at intervals of a quarter of an hour, and your being 



