After making several ineffectual attempts to secure for himself a quiet
and fixed position in his berth, Rollo finally concluded to shift his
quarters to the other side of the state room, and try the couch. The
couch had a sort of side board, which passed along the front side of it,
and which was higher somewhat than the one forming the front of the
berth. This board was made movable, so that it could be shifted from the
front to the back side, and _vice versa_, at pleasure. By putting this
side board back, the place became a sort of sofa or couch, and it was
usually in this state during the day; but by bringing it forward, which
was done at night, it became a berth, and one somewhat larger and more
comfortable than the permanent berths on the other side.
So Rollo began to make preparations for a removal. He threw the bolster
and pillows across first, and then, getting out of the berth, and
holding firmly to the edge of it, he waited for a moment's pause in the
motion of the ship; and then, when he thought that the right time had
come, he ran across. It happened, however, that he made a miscalculation
as to the time; for the ship was then just beginning to careen violently
in the direction in which he was going, and thus he was pitched head
foremost over into the couch, where he floundered about several minutes
among the pillows and bolsters before he could recover the command of
himself.
At last he lay down, and attempted to compose himself to sleep; but he
soon experienced a new trouble. It happened that there were some cloaks
and coats hanging up upon a brass hook above him, and, as the ship
rolled from side to side, the lower ends of them were continually
swinging to and fro, directly over Rollo's face. He tried for a time to
get out of the way of them, by moving his head one way and the other;
but they seemed to follow him wherever he went, and so he was obliged at
last to climb up and take them all off the hook, and throw them away
into a corner. Then he lay down again, thinking that he should now be
able to rest in peace.
At length, when he became finally settled, and began to think at last
that perhaps he should be able to go to sleep, he thought that he heard
something rolling about in Jennie's state room, and also, at intervals,
a mewing sound. He listened. The door between the two state rooms was
always put open a little way every night, and secured so by the
chambermaid, so that either of the children might call to the other if
any thing were wanted. It was thus that Rollo heard the sound that came
from Jennie's room. After listening a moment, he heard Jennie's voice
calling to him.
"Rollo," said she, "are you awake?"
"Yes," said Rollo.
"Then I wish you would come and help my kitten. Here she is, shut up in
her cage, and rolling in it all about the room."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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