"Oh, Iwasallright," heanswered, smiling, "the 'something'didn'tworryme, ;andtheyhadacircus, Itellyou, -lookingolddevilthatsatuponmyownchairbythefire, andwouldn'tgotillItookthepokertohim, andthenheranuptheropeofthealarmbellandgottosomewhereupthewallortheceiling—Icouldn'tseewhere, itwassodark."
"Mercyonus," , "anolddevil, andsittingonachairbythefireside!Takecare, sir!takecare!There'smanyatruewordspokeninjest."
"Howdoyoumean?UponmywordIdon'tunderstand."
"Anolddevil!theolddevil, !Sir, youneedn'tlaugh, "forMalcolmsonhadbrokenintoaheartypeal.", sir!nevermind!PleaseGod, you''swhatIwishyoumyself!" andthegoodladybeamedalloverinsympathywithhisenjoyment, herfearsgoneforamoment.
"Oh, forgiveme!" saidMalcolmsonpresently."Don'tthinkmerude;buttheideawastoomuchforme—thattheolddevilhimselfwasonthechairlastnight!" .
Thiseveningthescamperingoftheratsbeganearlier;indeedithadbeengoingonbeforehisarrival, ;andthen, havingclearedhistable, !Howtheysqueaked, andscratched, andgnawed!Howthey, gettingbolderbydegrees, , nowdoubtlessaccustomedtothem, theireyeswerenotwicked;, smitingthetablewithhishandorgivingafierce "Hsh, hsh," sothattheyfledstraightwaytotheirholes.
Andsotheearlypartofthenightworeon;anddespitethenoiseMalcolmsongotmoreandmoreimmersedinhiswork.
Allatoncehestopped, asonthepreviousnight, , orscratch, , .
There, onthegreatoldhigh-backedcarvedoakchairbesidethefireplacesatthesameenormousrat, steadilyglaringathimwithbalefuleyes.
Instinctivelyhetookthenearestthingtohishand, abookoflogarithms, , soagainthepokerperformanceofthepreviousnightwasrepeated;andagaintherat, beingcloselypursued, , , asonthepreviousone, Malcolmsoncouldnotseeatwhatpartoftheroomtheratdisappeared, forthegreenshadeofhislamplefttheupperpartoftheroomindarkness, andthefirehadburnedlow.
Onlookingathiswatchhefounditwascloseonmidnight;and, notsorryforthedivertissement, , andthoughthimselfentitledtoacigarette;, , , , especiallyforsostrongarope, andonenotinuse."Youcouldhangamanwithit," , andsaidcomplacently, "Therenow, myfriend, Ithinkweshalllearnsomethingofyouthistime!" Hebeganhisworkagain, andthoughasbeforesomewhatdisturbedatfirstbythenoiseoftherats, soonlosthimselfinhispropositionsandproblems.
