There was no more said about it for several days, but Aunt Kate was decidedly better, though she still declared she did not sleep at night, and Pearl was determined to convince her that she did. Aunt Kate was a profound snorer. Pearl, who was the only one who had ever heard her, in trying to explain it to the other children, said that it was just like some one pulling a trunk across the room on a bare floor to see how they would like it in this corner, and then, when they get it over here, they don't like it a bit, so they pull it back again; "and besides that," Pearl said, "she whistles comin' back and grinds her teeth, and after all that she gets up in the mornin' and tells Ma she heard every hour strike. She couldn't hear the clock strike anyway, and her kickin' up such a fuss as she is, but I'm going to stop her if I can; she's our aunt, and we've got to do our best for her, and, besides, there's lots of nice things about her." The next morning Pearl was very solicitous about how her aunt had slept. "Not a bit better," Aunt Kate said. "I heard every hour but six. I always drop off about six." "Did you really hear the clock last night, Auntie?" Pearl asked with great politeness. "Oh, it's very little you youngsters know about lying awake. When you get to the age of me and your mother, I tell you, it's different I get thinkin', thinkin', thinkin', and my nerves get all unstrung." "And you really heard the clock?" Pearl said. "My, but that is queer!" "Nothin' queer about it, Pearl. What's queer about it, I'd like to know?" "Because I stopped the clock," Pearl said, "just to see if you could hear it when it's stopped," and for once Aunt Kate, usually so ready of speech, could not think of anything to say. Aunt Kate went to bed early the next night, leaving the children undisturbed to enjoy the pleasant hour as they had done before she came. The next morning she handed Pearl the sheet of brown paper, and below the list of recommendations there it was in bold writing: "Kate W. Shenstone." "See that, now," said Pearl triumphantly, as she showed it to the children, "what it does for you to know history!" "Say," said Jim, "where could we get some of them things, what did you call them, Pearl?" "'Twouldn't do any good, she wouldn't eat them," Billy said. "Lampreys or lampwicks, or somethin' like that." "Now, boys," said Pearl, "that's not right. Don't talk like that. It ain't cheerful." CHAPTER IV SOMETHING MORE THAN GESTURES Wanting is--what? Summer redundant, Blueness abundant. Where is the blot? _----Robert Browning._