"Nothing! GO to sleep again!" her husband answered.

But they did not sleep. They waited and they listened. In the end Mr White got up to get a candle because the dark made him more afraid. He began to go downstairs, but suddenly he heard a noise at the front door. He stopped, and he listened. He could not move. Then the noise came again. This time he ran. He ran upstairs, back into the bedroom and he closed the door behind him. But again the noise came.

But Mrs White listened -- and the noise came again. "It's Herbert! It's Herbert!" she cried. "I'm going to open the door for him."

And she got out of bed and ran to the door of the bedroom. Mr White got there first and stopped her.

"What's that?" Mrs White cried, and she sat up in bed.

"No!" he cried. "Think!"

But Mrs White did not listen to him. She opened the bed room door and ran from the room. "I'm coming, Herbert. I'm coming!" she called.

"But it's my boy! It's Herbert," she answered.

"No! Don't go! Don't…" her husband cried again.

Mr White ran after her. "Stop!" he cried. "Remember, Herbert died in the machinery! You don't want to see him!"

For a minute Mrs White stopped and looked at her husband, but then the noise came again and she began to run downstairs.

At the same time Mr White took the monkey's paw in his right hand and he made his third wish.

"Help me! Help me!" she called to her husband.

He ran back into the bedroom. "Quick!" he thought. "Where is it?" At first he could not find it in the dark. Ah! There it was! He had it!

But Mr White did not move. "The paw!" he thought. "Where's the monkey's paw?"

Just at that minute he heard his wife downstairs.

Mrs White gave a long unhappy cry and her husband ran down to her. She stood by the open door. Very afraid, Old Mr White looked out into the dark.

The road was dark and quiet -- and there was nobody there.

"Wait! Wait, Herbert! I'm coming!" she cried. She began to open the front door.