of the wheel. The wind of the swift motion took it, spun it round
and round in widening circles, till it floated above like a slow
white moth. Little Rol's eyes danced, and the row of his small
teeth shone in a silent laugh of delight. Another and another of
the white tufts was sent whirling round like a winged thing in a
spider's web, and floating clear at last. Presently the handful
failed.

Rol sprawled forward to survey the room, and contemplate another
journey under the table. His shoulder, thrusting forward, checked
the wheel for an instant; he shifted hastily. The wheel flew on
with a jerk, and the thread snapped. "Naughty Rol!" said the girl.
The swiftest wheel stopped also, and the house-mistress, Rol's
aunt, leaned forward, and sighting the low curly head, gave a
warning against mischief, and sent him off to old Trella's corner.

Rol obeyed, and after a discreet period of obedience, sidled out
again down the length of the room farthest from his aunt's eye. As
he slipped in among the men, they looked up to see that their
tools might be, as far as possible, out of reach of Rol's hands,
and close to their own. Nevertheless, before long he managed to
secure a fine chisel and take off its point on the leg of the
table. The carver's strong objections to this disconcerted Rol,
who for five minutes thereafter effaced himself under the table.

During this seclusion he contemplated the many pairs of legs that
surrounded him, and almost shut out the light of the fire. How
very odd some of the legs were: some were curved where they should
be straight, some were straight where they should be curved, and,
as Rol said to himself, "they all seemed screwed on differently."