Aunt Izzie, coming in with a candle in her hand, stood in the doorway,
astonished at the spectacle. She sat down and waited for Clover to get
through, while Clover, on her part, didn't dare to get through, but went
on repeating "Now I lay me" over and over again, in a sort of despair.
At last Aunt Izzie said very grimly: "That will do, Clover, you can get
up!" and Clover rose, feeling like a culprit, which she was, for it was
much naughtier to pretend to be praying than to disobey Aunt Izzie and
be out of bed after ten o'clock, though I think Clover hardly understood
this then.
Aunt Izzie at once began to undress her, and while doing so asked so
many questions, that before long she had got at the truth of the whole
matter. She gave Clover a sharp scolding, and leaving her to wash her
tearful face, she went to the bed where John and Dorry lay, fast asleep,
and snoring as conspicuously as they knew how. Something strange in the
appearance of the bed made her look more closely: she lifted the
clothes, and there, sure enough, they were--half dressed, and with their
school-boots on.
Such a shake as Aunt Izzie gave the little scamps at this discovery,
would have roused a couple of dormice.
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