CHAPTER XXV. 

 MISCELLANEOUS. 



"HAMLET. A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king; 



and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. 

 KING. What do'st thou mean by this? 



HAMLET. Nothing but to show you how a king may go a progress 

 through the guts of a beggar." 



SHAKESPEARE. 



DID you ever watch avadavats going to bed ? It is a provoking sight, 

 because they take such a long time tucking themselves in. Yes, 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 com- 

 fortably enough for all parties when just as 



"Tired nature's sweet restorer 'balmy sleep/ 



* * his ready visit pays, 



Where fortune smiles," 



the unfortunate avadavat at the outside awakes to a sense of his 

 weather side, which is exposed, being colder than his lee 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 sleep again, 

 when avadavat 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 

 that avadavat No. i was not such a fool as he looked after all, so he 

 too jumps up impulsively, scuttles along the backs of his fellows, and 



