"'Now they'll have good times together,' said he; 'that fellow was awful
lonesome shut up by himself,'

"At Aunt Susan's suggestion I improved my worm-house by removing the top
of the box and stretching mosquito-netting across, fastening it securely
along the edges lest my prisoners should escape. And it was well I took
this precaution; for, though for several days they made no attempt to
get away, and seemed to do nothing but eat and sleep, one morning I
found my largest and handsomest worm in a very disturbed and restless
condition. He was making frantic efforts to escape. Up and down, round
and round, over and under his companions, who were still quietly
feeding, without a moment's pause, he was pushing his way. I watched him
till I was tired; but when I left him he was still on his travels.

"In the afternoon, however, he had settled himself half-way up the side
of his house. His head was moving slowly from side to side, and a fine
white thread was coming out of his mouth. When I looked again he had
fastened himself to the box by the tip of his tail and by a loop of fine
silk passing round the upper part of his body. There he hung motionless
two, three, almost four, days. The green and orange and black faded
little by little, his body shrank to half its size, and he looked
withered, unsightly, dead. I thought he _was_ dead; but Tim Rhodes (who
all along had shown a friendly interest in my pursuit) took a look at my
poor dead worm,' and pronounced him all right.

"'Keep a watch on him this afternoon,' said Tim,' and you'll see
something queer,'

"So we did; and Aunt Susan was summoned to the porch by the news that