ASLEEP AND A WAKE. 31 



title to convert the winter, or as much of it as she chose, into 

 one long night. Accordingly, when December arrived, and 

 with it a frost of intense severity, our busy-body shut herself 

 up in her warm underground quarters, and fell into a comfortable 

 dose, and from thence into a slumber, profound as that fabled of 

 the Seven Sleepers. On went the frost, and with it on went 

 the good house-wife's comfortable snooze ; but one day the 

 sharp north-east having whistled his lullaby, his brother, the 

 soft south-west, arose to do duty in his stead. The sun, at the 

 same time, drew aside his fog curtain, and shone out so bright 

 and warm, as to penetrate even to our sleeper's underground 

 chamber. She felt its reviving power, and awoke. She then 

 stept up to the entrance of her dwelling, or, we should rather 

 say, one of them, since it had almost as many as the far-famed 

 residence of John o' Groat. These, however, had been all 

 carefully barred up on the setting in of the frost, so that, all 

 alone, she had to take down one of the barricades she had 

 assisted to erect; and this done, though not without some 

 effort, she was able to take a peep at the outward world, from 

 which she had been so long retired. Presently she bethought 

 her of a certain large family, with whom her own had long 

 been upon the most intimate and social footing, and by whom, 

 indeed, both herself and friends had often been regaled, even 

 when they had gone in a large party to claim hospitality. The 

 question now was how to reach their abode, which was seated 

 under the protection of an old oak pollard at some distance 

 from her own. In summer, nothing could be easier, and, 

 novice as she was in winter travelling, she thought, poor little 

 soul ! deceived by appearances, that she should find it mighty 

 pleasant and clean walking over the snow. And so a few hours 

 before, she might; but now the snow being half melted by the 

 sun, she sank and floundered at every step, besides being ever 

 and anon nearly swept away by tremendous avalanches falling 

 from the laden boughs over head. Pushed on, however, by 

 hunger and her own determined spirit, she arrived at length 



