often as he
endeavoured to rouse himself, as often did he relapse into slumber and,
at length, actually fell into a profound sleep upon the old woman's
sofa.

Strange dreams came over him, while he thus slept. It seemed as if the
old woman was taking off his clothes, and putting on him the skin of a
squirrel. Now he could make bounds and climb like a squirrel; he
associated with the other squirrels and guinea-pigs, who were all very
polite, decent people, and he did his duty of waiting upon the old
woman in his turn with the rest. At first he had to perform the
service of a shoeblack, that is, he had to oil and polish the cocoa-nut
shells which his mistress wore instead of slippers. Having often
blacked and polished shoes at home, he performed his duty well and
quickly. After the lapse of about one year, he dreamt again,
(according to the sequel of his dream) that he was employed for more
delicate work, that is, in company with some other squirrels, he was
obliged to catch the atoms in the sun, and, when they had caught
enough, to sift them through the finest hair-sieve, as the old woman
considered them the nicest thing, and not being able to masticate well
for want of teeth, had her bread prepared of such atoms.

At the end of another year, he was raised to the rank of one of the
servants who had to collect the water the old woman drank. But you
must not suppose that she had a cistern dug for that purpose, or a tub
placed in the yard to catch the rain-water; she had a much finer plan.
The squirrels, and James with them, had to collect in their hazel-nut
shells the dew from roses, and this was the beverage of the old woman.
The labour of these water-carriers was not a very light one, as she
used to drink a prodigious quantity. After another year, he was
employed in in-door service, his duty being to clean the floors, and as
they were of glass and showed the least speck, it was not a very easy
task. He and his fellow-servants were obliged to brush the floors, and
with pieces of old cloth tied to their feet dexterously skated about
the rooms. In the fourth year, he received an appointment in the
kitchen, which was so honourable an office, that one could succeed to
it only after a long probation. James here served from scullion
upwards to the post of first pastrycook, and acquired such an
extraordinary skill and experience in every thing relating to the
culinary art, that often he could not help wondering at hi