76 



FOUR-HAN DEB FOLK. 



morning did he condescend to rise. As the 

 weather grew cold he stayed longer and longer 

 in his warm nest, and after he found that lights 

 made the room warm in the evening, he grew 

 more and more late in going to bed, till Novem- 

 ber, when he never left us until about eleven 

 o'clock, though he still rose about eleven. He 

 took many long naps during the afternoon, and 

 I believe if it had been cold enough he would 

 have hibernated. 



He was a wise little beastie, too ; he discov- 

 ered after a while that it was warmer to crawl 

 under the shawl itself, outside of, and close 

 against the box, and so for a month or more 

 he did not occupy his old quarters. Still he 

 would not allow the box to be removed ; he 

 misfht not choose to use it, but he knew it was 

 his, and he wanted it in its old place, where he 

 could climb over it on his way to bed. 



So long as he slept in the box it was com- 

 ical to watch his retiring. Beside the box he 

 always stood a few moments upright, which was 

 easy for him to do, raised with one hand the 

 blanket cover, leaned over and peered in, with 

 a comical air of looking under the bed for a 

 burglar. Finding things all right, he glanced 

 around the room to see that all was safe there, 

 then dived under the blanket, resting his feet 

 (or hinder hands) on the edge of the box a 



