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The next morning, when Granny Pyetangle awoke, she said she felt considerably better, and so energetic was she that Dame Fossie had great difficulty in persuading her not to get up. Dame Fossie tidied up the place, and was much annoyed to find a dead leaf sticking to Granny Pyetangle's scanty grey hair.
'Zekiel craned forward, though he was trembling with fright, and saw in the fast gathering shadows his own china dog, standing beside Granny Pyetangle's favourite lavender bush though how it managed to get there so quickly he could not imagine! He stretched out his hand to stroke it, and started up, as instead of the cold china, he felt the soft curls of a fluffy fur coat.
'Zekiel's favourite place to play in was Granny Pyetangle's cottage doorway. A board had been put up to prevent him rolling out on to the cobblestone pavement; and this board though very irritating to 'Zekiel in many ways as preventing him from straying down the road and otherwise enjoying himself was yet not to be despised, as he soon discovered, when he was learning to walk.
All Granny Pyetangle's relations were dead; and she lived quite alone with her little grandson 'Zekiel, who had been a mingled source of pride and worry to her, ever since he left off long-clothes and took to a short-waisted frock with a wide frill round the neck, that required constant attention in the way of washing and ironing.
'Zekiel shuddered as he looked at the strange scene, and longed sincerely to be back again in his little bed at Granny Pyetangle's. "However, it won't do to show I'm afraid, or don't like it," he said to himself, so he capered and hopped with the others until he was quite giddy and exhausted, and forced to sit down on a grassy bank to recover himself.
He carried something in his paw, which he placed in 'Zekiel's hand. "Put this on Grandmother Pyetangle's forehead when you return to-night promise that you will keep silence for ever about what you have seen and to-morrow she will be well!" "I promise," said 'Zekiel. "Oh, Fozzy-gog! I'll never forget it!" "No thanks," said the Fozzy-gog. "I like deeds more than words.
As soon as it grew dusk, he unlatched the door of the oak cupboard; and then being very tired for he had worked hard since daylight he sat down in Granny Pyetangle's large chair, and in a minute was fast asleep.
They were not merely "chaney" as Eli and Hercules contemptuously expressed it; but were really as much alive as he was himself, after all! "However did you manage to get out of Granny Pyetangle's cupboard?" enquired 'Zekiel, curiously. "Oh, I put those lazy greyhounds and the shepherdess at it," replied the china dog. "They worked all night, and managed to undo the latch early this afternoon.
It was quite dark, but a ray of moonlight enabled him to see the china dog open the cupboard; and, rapidly shrinking, place himself on his proper shelf again. 'Zekiel then took off his boots, ran up the creaking stairs, and tapped softly at Granny Pyetangle's bedroom. No one answered, so he pushed open the door.
Pyetangle shall take you home." He beckoned to 'Zekiel's dog, who came up rather sulkily and 'Zekiel found himself outside the magic circle, and well on his way home, almost before he could realize that they had started! As he entered Granny Pyetangle's little garden, he saw that a light was still burning in her attic. He went softly into the kitchen.
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