It was not like in books; our hair did not stand on end at all, and we never said 'Hist!' once, but our feet got very cold, though we were in blankets by the fire, and the insides of Oswald's hands got warm and wet, and his nose was cold like a dog's, and his ears were burning hot.
The girls said afterwards that they shivered with terror, and their teeth chattered, but we did not see or hear this at the time.
'Shall we open the window and call police ?' said Dora; and then Oswald suddenly thought of something, and he breathed more freely and he said-- 'I _know_ it's not ghosts, and I don't believe it's robbers.

I expect it's a stray cat got in when the coals came this morning, and she's been hiding in the cellar, and now she's moving about.

Let's go down and see.' The girls wouldn't, of course; but I could see that they breathed more freely too.

But Dicky said, 'All right; I will if you will.' H.O.said, 'Do you think it's _really_ a cat ?' So we said he had better stay with the girls.

And of course after that we had to let him and Alice both come.