There was more room inside Solomon’s house than Benjamin Bat had supposed. While Benjamin was looking about and telling Solomon that he had a fine home, his host quickly made a bed of leaves in one corner of the room—there was only one room, of course.
“That’s for you!” said Solomon Owl. “I always sleep on the other side of the house.” And without waiting even to make sure that his guest was comfortable, Solomon Owl lay down and began to snore—for he was very sleepy.
It was so cozy there that Benjamin Bat was glad, already, that he had accepted Solomon’s invitation.
XIII
The Lucky Guest
In the middle of the day Solomon Owl happened to awake. He was sorry that he hadn’t slept until sunset, because he was very hungry. Knowing that it was light outside his hollow tree, he didn’t want to leave home to find something to eat.
Then, suddenly, he remembered that he had brought Benjamin Bat to his house early that morning, so Benjamin might escape the storm.... Why not eat Benjamin Bat?
As soon as the thought occurred to him, Solomon Owl liked it. And he moved stealthily over to the bed of leaves he had made for his guest just before daybreak.
But Benjamin Bat was not there. Though Solomon looked in every nook and cranny of his one-room house, he did not find him.
“He must have left as soon as it stopped raining,” said Solomon Owl to himself. “He might at least have waited to thank me for giving him a day’s lodging. It’s the last time I’ll ever bring any worthless vagabond into my house. And I ought to have known better than to have anything to do with a crazy person like Benjamin Bat.”
Anybody can see that Solomon Owl was displeased. But it was not at all astonishing, if one stops to remember how hungry he was, and that he had expected to enjoy a good meal without the trouble of going away from home to get it.