44 J. COLE.

would go quickly to his bed, which we saw
represented the dinner-wagon, or sideboard,
and bring imaginary dishes from there and
hand them. Then he would go quickly from
chair to chair, always correcting himself if he
went to the wrong side, and talking all the
time softly to himself. So here was the so-
lution of the mystery; here melted into air
the visions of Joe in league with midnight
burglars. ;

The poor boy, evidently alarmed at the
prospect of the dinner-party, and feeling that
he must try to improve in waiting at table
before that time somehow, had stolen all those
hours nightly from his rest, to practise with
whatever substitutes were at hand for the
usual table requisites.

Here every night, when those who had
worked far less during the day were soundly
sleeping, had that anxious, striving little heart
shaken off fatigue, and the big blue eyes re-
fused to yield to sleep, in order to fight with
the nervousness that alone prevented his will-
ing hands acting with their natural clever-
ness. I felt a choking in my throat, when I