He was fearful lest she should open her eyes, and the dread within him was so strong, that he could not forbear to stare, but hung as if fascinated over the woman's grim face.
Suddenly her eyes opened.

The urchin found himself looking straight into that expression, which, it would seem, had the power to change his blood to salt.

He howled piercingly and fell backward.
The woman floundered for a moment, tossed her arms about her head as if in combat, and again began to snore.
Jimmie crawled back in the shadows and waited.

A noise in the next room had followed his cry at the discovery that his mother was awake.
He grovelled in the gloom, the eyes from out his drawn face riveted upon the intervening door.
He heard it creak, and then the sound of a small voice came to him.
"Jimmie! Jimmie! Are yehs dere ?" it whispered.

The urchin started.
The thin, white face of his sister looked at him from the door-way of the other room.