Bless you , you might have understood it like a book -- better than some books you and I could name , perhaps . With its warm breath gushing forth in a light cloud which merrily and gracefully ascended a few feet , then hung about the chimney-corner as its own domestic Heaven , it trolled its song with that strong energy of cheerfulness , that its iron body hummed and stirred upon the fire ; and the lid itself , the recently rebellious lid -- such is the influence of a bright example -- performed a sort of jig , and clattered like a deaf and dumb young cymbal that had never known the use of its twin brother . That this song of the kettle 's was a song of invitation and welcome to somebody out of doors : to somebody at that moment coming on towards the snug small home and the crisp fire : there is no doubt whatever . Mrs. Peerybingle knew it perfectly , as she sat musing before the hearth . It 's a dark night , sang the kettle , and the rotten leaves are lying by the way ; and , above , all is mist and darkness , and , below , all is mire and clay ; and there 's only one relief in all the sad and murky air ; and I do n't know that it is one , for it 's nothing but a glare ; of deep and angry crimson , where the sun and wind together ; set a brand upon the clouds for being guilty of such weather ; and the widest open country is a long dull streak of black ; and there 's hoar frost on the finger-post , and thaw upon the track ; and the ice it is n't water , and the water is n't free ; and you could n't say that anything is what it ought to be ; but he 's coming , coming , coming ! -- And here , if you like , the Cricket DID chime in ! with a Chirrup , Chirrup , Chirrup of such magnitude , by way of chorus ; with a voice so astoundingly disproportionate to its size , as compared with the kettle ; -LRB- size ! you could n't see it ! -RRB- that , if it had then and there burst itself like an overcharged gun , if it had fallen a victim on the spot , and chirruped its little body into fifty pieces , it would have seemed a natural and inevitable consequence , for which it had expressly laboured . The kettle had had the last of its solo performance . It persevered with undiminished ardour ; but the Cricket took first fiddle , and kept it . Good Heaven , how it chirped ! Its shrill , sharp , piercing voice resounded through the house , and seemed to twinkle in the outer darkness like a star . There was an indescribable little trill and tremble in it at its loudest , which suggested its being carried off its legs , and made to leap again , by its own intense enthusiasm . Yet they went very well together , the Cricket and the kettle . The burden of the song was still the same ; and louder , louder , louder still , they sang it in their emulation . The fair little listener -- for fair she was , and young ; though something of what is called the dumpling shape ; but I do n't myself object to that -- lighted a candle , glanced at the Hay-maker on the top of the clock , who was getting in a pretty average crop of minutes ; and looked out of the window , where she saw nothing , owing to the darkness , but her own face imaged in the glass . And my opinion is -LRB- and so would yours have been -RRB- that she might have looked a long way and seen nothing half so agreeable . When she came back , and sat down in her former seat , the Cricket and the kettle were still keeping it up , with a perfect fury of competition . The kettle 's weak side clearly being that he did n't know when he was beat .
There was all the excitement XXXXX a race about it .
That as at before if of through to upon with