I persuaded him to go to bed, and I put out the candle (the fire giving sufficient light to undress by), so that he might the sooner fall asleep.

But he was too restless to sleep.

He asked me to read him something.

Books always made him drowsy at the best of times.
"I had not myself begun to undress.

So I lit the candle again, and I opened the only book I had.