"I expect it smells someone," said Ay, looking at the window.
"But who can be there? There is water all round—no one could get through. A bird or a monkey perhaps," said Tuta.
The wind that had just been roaring stopped again suddenly and everything was so still that one could hear the water splashing against the walls of the house and the palm leaves rustling.
"Perhaps it's they?" Parennofer whispered, turning pale.
"Who?" Tuta asked.
"The restless. It's not for nothing they desecrate the tombs nowadays. They say there are a lot of evil spirits going about at night."
"Oh please, please don't talk about it!" Tuta implored, his stomach beginning to ache with fear.
"Drive it away, I beg you," Merira cried, with disgust.
Tuta seized the cat by the collar and tried to drag it out of the room. But it would not go and he was scarcely able to master it; at last, however he succeeded, and bolted the door behind it. But the cat went on scratching and mewing outside the room.
"Let me see, what were we talking about?" Merira began again.