She is asleep - yonder - in there.'

Thank God!'

Aye! Thank God!' returned the old man. 'I have prayed to Him, many,

and many, and many a livelong night, when she has been asleep, He

knows. Hark! Did she call?'

I heard no voice.'

'You did. You hear her now. Do you tell me that you don't hear THAT?'

He started up, and listened again.

Nor that?' he cried, with a triumphant smile, 'Can any body know

that voice so well as I? Hush! Hush!' Motioning to him to be silent, he

stole away into another chamber. After a short absence (during which

he could be heard to speak in a softened soothing tone) he returned,

bearing in his hand a lamp.

She is still asleep,' he whispered. 'You were right. She did not call -

unless she did so in her slumber. She has called to me in her sleep

before now, sir; as I have sat by, watching, I have seen her lips move,

and have known, though no sound came from them, that she spoke of

me. I feared the light might dazzle her eyes and wake her, so I brought

it here.'

He spoke rather to himself than to the visitor, but when he had put

the lamp upon the table, he took it up, as if impelled by some

momentary recollection or curiosity, and held it near his face. Then,

as if forgetting his motive in the very action, he turned away and put it

down again.

'She is sleeping soundly,' he said; 'but no wonder. Angel hands have

strewn the ground deep with snow, that the lightest footstep may be

lighter yet; and the very birds are dead, that they may not wake her.

She used to feed them, Sir. Though never so cold and hungry, the

timid things would fly from us. They never flew from her!'

Again he stopped to listen, and scarcely drawing breath, listened for a

long, long time. That fancy past, he opened an old chest, took out

some clothes as fondly as if they had been living things, and began to

smooth and brush them with his hand.

Why dost thou lie so idle there, dear Nell,' he murmured, 'when there

are bright red berries out of doors waiting for thee to pluck them! Why

dost thou lie so idle there, when thy little friends come creeping to the

door, crying ‘where is Nell - sweet Nell?’ - and sob, and weep, because

The Old Curiosity Shop