Tales in Prose Author:Mary Howitt Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: MATTHEW NOGGINS'S LETTER TO HIS COUSIN. My Dear Cousm Peter, In excellent metre I'm going to explain what has puzzled my brain, as you may remember, from t... more »he tenth of December; the day you came down from great London town, in the coach with a friend, the Christmas to spend in the country with us. You remember the fuss we were in that same night, and the terrible fright we had as we lay wide awake until day, wond'ring what was the matter, because of the clatter there was in the house ; neither cat, rat, nor mouse, nor dozens of any, nor ever so many, we were sure could have made that wild cannonade. And you haven't forgot, I'm sure you have not — how Sam, like a ghost, stood at the bed-post, as white as a sheet, trembling down to his feet, and praying that we would go with him, and see what that terrible rout could be all about. Then you know how we went, with courageous intent, all three on tip-toe, above and below, — how we peeped into presses and tumbled o'er dresses — how we looked under beds and poked in our heads, to many a room full of silence and gloom ; — how we stole to the kitchen to see if the witch in a kettle or pan had cunningly ran. Then you know how my mother cried out, " What a pother is this that you make! One would think an earthquake shook the house o'er our heads ; — go all to your beds ! — 'Tis nothing at all but the wind in the wall, or a strange cat got in that has made such a din! " Then to bed we did creep, but it was not to sleep, for I certainly think that not one got a wink; but asleep or awake, we were all in a quake, and rejoiced when the day sent the darkness away. And at breakfast you know how old Mrs. Snow and Mrs. Germain told the tale of Cock-lane, and many another such tale to my mother, and all looked so queer, betwixt wonder and f...« less