The latch clicked, the door opened, and in came a queer little creature the size of a child and walking upright upon two legs; but it was not a child. It was a funny little monkey, with a wee black face and a curled-up handy tail, and on its head it wore a tiny green cap. “Ugh!” cried the little old woman, who did not like monkeys, “Ugh, go away!” But the monkey skipped briskly across the floor to the fireplace, and stood there shivering and holding out its small hands to the blaze quite as a little child might have done. The old woman stared at it in surprise. “Bless my stars, how ugly it is!” she said. “But the poor thing seems cold. Let it stay and warm itself if it wishes.” At these words the monkey turned about and made a low courtesy to the little old woman. “Bless my stars!” said she again, for she had never seen so remarkable an animal, even in the land where monkeys were common. Now the monkey had ceased to shiver, and it came skipping up to the table where the old woman sat, ready to eat her supper. “Ugh! Go away!” cried the little old woman. “Go away, you ugly creature!” But the monkey rested its chin upon the board and looked wistfully at the supper. “May I not share with you?” it seemed to say, though it spoke no word, and it put its little hands out towards the old woman, beggar-fashion. “Bless my stars!” cried the old woman again, “it has the way of a child. But what an ugly child! Ugh! I cannot bear to have it near me. Yet--it is hard even for a monkey to be hungry.” She looked at her scanty dipper of water, at her little dish of rice, at her teapot with its drop of tea. “I have but one dipper of water left, one handful of rice, one drop of tea,” she said ruefully. “When these are gone I know not whence to-morrow’s food will come; yet, little creature with the hands of a child, you shall share with me so long as I have a morsel. I cannot refuse those hands. But do not come too near, for I love not monkeys.” Now the monkey seemed to understand every word the old woman spoke, although it could not answer in words. It bowed gratefully over its clasped hands as the old woman helped it to half the scanty meal,--half the dipper of water, half the rice, half a drop squeezed from the little teapot. The monkey ate hungrily, and when it had finished patted its little stomach and grinned happily at the old woman as if to say, “That was very good!” “I am glad you are satisfied,” said the old woman with a sigh; “and now will you begone? There is nothing more in the house for guest or for host.” But the monkey laid its head to one side upon its little hands and closed its eyes, showing that it was fain of sleep. Then again it held out its hands, beseeching the old woman.