the middle of the world, p'raps?"

Beata laughed.

"Oh no, Fixie, not so far as that, I am sure," she said. "At the most,
it can't go farther than the ceiling of the room underneath."

Fixie looked puzzled, and Bee explained to him that there was a small
space left behind the wood planking which make the floor of one room
and the thinner boards which are the ceiling of an under room.

[Illustration: 'WHAT IS THERE DOWN THERE, DOES YOU FINK?' SAID FIXIE]

"The ceiling doesn't need to be so strong, you see," she said. "We
don't walk and jump on the ceiling, but we do on the floor, so the
ceiling boards would not be strong enough for the floor."

"Yes," said Fixie, "on'y the flies walks on the ceiling, and they's
not very heavy, is they, Bee? But," he went on, "I would like to see
down into this hole. If I had a long piece of 'ting I could
_fish_ down into it, couldn't I, Bee? You don't fink there's
anything dedful down there, do you? Not fogs or 'nakes?"

"No," said Bee, "I'm sure there are no frogs or snakes. There
_might_ be some little mice."

"Is mice the same as mouses?" said Fixie; and when Bee nodded, "Why
don't you say mouses then?" he asked, "it's a much samer word."

"But I didn't make the words," said Bee, "one has to use them the way