Aunt Judy shook her head.

"That groan is not half hearty enough for such a misery. Don't you
think, if you tried hard, you could groan a little louder?"

They did try, and succeeded a little better, but cast furtive glances
at each other immediately after.

"Were the beds very uncomfortable ones, Aunt Judy?" inquired No. 8,
in a subdued voice.

"You shall judge for yourself," was the answer. "They were raised
off the floor upon legs, so that no wind from under the door could
get at them; and on the flat bottom called the bed-stock, there was
placed a thick strong bag called a mattress, which was stuffed with
some soft material which made it springy and pleasant to touch or lie
down upon. The shape of it was a long square, or what may be called
a rectangular parallelogram. I strongly advise you all to learn that
word, for it is rather an amusing idea as one steps into bed, to
think that one is going to sleep upon a parallelogram."

Nos. 3 and 4 were here unable to contain themselves, but broke into a
peal of laughter. The little ones stared.

"Well," resumed Aunt Judy, "for my part, I think it's a very nice
thing to learn the ins and outs of one's own life; to consider how
one's bed is made, and the why and wherefore of its shape and
position. It is a great pity to get so accustomed to things as not
to know their value till we lose them! But to proceed.