bodies--flew out in clouds when they moved the blankets. Not the less
had they discovered Paradise! For the moths, they must have found it
an island of plum-cake!

I do not know the history of the house--how it came to be shut up with
so much in it. I only know it was itself shut up in chancery, and
chancery is full of moths and dust and worms. I believe nobody in the
town knew much about it--not even the thieves. It was of course said
to be haunted, which had doubtless done something for its
protection. No one knew how long it had stood thus deserted. Nobody
thought of entering it, or was aware that there was furniture in
it. It was supposed to be somebody's property, and that it was
somebody's business to look after it: whether it was looked after or
not, nobody inquired. Happily for Clare and the baby and Tommy, that
was nobody's business.

With deft hands--for how often had he not seen his baby-sister
undressed!--Clare hurried off the infant's one garment, gently rubbed
her little body till it was quite dry, if not very clean, and laid her
tenderly in the heart of the blankets, among the remains and eggs and
grubs of the mothy creatures--they were not wild beasts, or even
stinging things--and covered her up, leaving a little opening for her
to breathe through. She had not cried since Clare took her; she was
too feeble to cry; but, alas, there was no question about feeding her,
for he had no food to give her, were she crying ever so much! He threw
off his clothes, and got into the mothy blankets beside her. In a few
minutes he began to glow, for there was a thick pile of woolly
salvation atop of him. He took the naked baby in his arms and held her
close to his body, and they grew warmer together.