He was quite wrong in his head apparently, for he made a noise like a nest of young birds when somebody sits down on them, with an accompaniment on a rusty pump.

"Let us go in and see what is the matter," R proposed.

Harry would rather not have gone into the dark barn nearer to the horrid noise, but as he was an English boy he persuaded himself that he liked it, and walked forward with a bold step. When his eyes had become used to the dim light of the place, he saw a rat standing on his head and waving his tail wildly round and round;

then in a moment he was on his legs again, but each of his four legs seemed to have a will of its own, and to be of a different opinion from the other three. The poor rat tried to bring them to reason, and at last his two fore-legs settled their differences; but as his hind-legs were still vigorous rebels, he did not make much progress, and at last he fell down on the slippery floor.

"I can make you understand him," said R, "but I can't introduce you to him while he's in this condition; it wouldn't be proper."

"What condition?" asked Harry.

"He's drunk," said R.

As soon as Harry could understand rat-language he heard something like this: "Never shaw sush a barn before! The sheiling's where the floor oughto be, and, the floor's nowhere!"

"This is really disgraceful," said R.

"Wash disgraceful?" asked the Rat.

"I never heard of a rat getting tipsy before," remarked Harry.

"Didn't you? There is nothing at all uncommon in it. Look at these little berries that are scattered about, they are thrown down on purpose to intoxicate the rats which infest this barn, to make them stupid, so that they may be taken by the hand." 1

They are queer little berries; what is the name of them?"

"Cocculus indicus," answered R; "but you will not remember such a long name as that."

"Wash in a name?" said the Rat, drowsily.

At this moment Harry heard a quick rustling among the straw at the other end of the barn, a pair of small black eyes glittered at him, and another rat stole cautiously towards him, but stopped halfway.

"Don't be afraid," said R; "we are all friends here." "I am looking for my husband," the second Rat informed them. "Goodness! is that he?"

"Yesh, my dear," replied the first Rat; "I believe ish

1 A common practice in Essex.

me; don't be too sure though, bad thing to be too sure."

"Oh dear!" exclaimed the second Rat, "he has caught the farmer's complaint! This comes of getting one's living in barns infested by those horrid animals.” "What animals? Dogs?" said Harry.

Seeing him so harmless, I

"No, farmers, two-legged creatures, very savage in their habits, and very common about here. They are often afflicted with this complaint, and cannot speak plainly, or keep on their legs. I saw one of them the day before yesterday, with legs that kept changing their mind every minute, and a nose that looked as if it would set the hay on fire. I declare I was frightened when he fell down in those heaps of hay and straw, but after waiting a few minutes without seeing any smoke, I crept a little nearer, and he was lying on his back, not able to move or to do anything but smile. began to run over him, backwards and forwards, and soon a number of other rats joined in the game. The farmer looked at us without the least anger or bad feeling of any kind, and only said, 'Never shaw sush a lot at onch! Mush be in the world for shom good; shame to shet traps for them; ratsh never shet traps for me; why shouldn't I behave to them ash they behave to me?' We understood him, for we constantly listen to the farmers, and as he was so thoroughly tamed we were not in the least afraid of him. We were having great fun when a she-farmer came in, quite well, and dreadfully savage.

She shook him and called him names instead