THE HALF-MONKEY. 



55 



eager looks and movement, threatening to jump 

 up from the back of a chair. In his antics one 

 day he sprang over to the upright window-cas- 

 ing, to examine an ornament of moss that hung 

 on the wall, and the ease with which he held 

 on to the moulding put another notion into his 

 head. He had found a ladder ! — and he began 

 to climb. 



This discovery removed the last obstacle be- 

 tween Koko and everything in the room. With 

 three long windows, a wide arch, and a door, all 

 surrounded by this highway of ladders, he could 

 reach almost anything on the walls hitherto 

 barred from him. The first thing, of course, 

 was to gratify his old longing to explore the 

 bookcase : he walked up the moulding till he was 

 level with the top, and then jumped over the 

 chasm. In about two minutes he satisfied him- 

 self that nothing was there but dust, and having 

 well covered his feet and hands with this, he 

 sprang back to the casing and ran down, leav- 

 ing pretty little prints of his mischievous hands 

 all the way. After that exploit the casings were 

 his favorite playground and retreat. 



