Darkness settled over everything.
Soon there were only shadows and the noises of the sheep chewing their cuds, and occasionally the rattle of a cow-chain up overhead.
You can imagine Wilbur's surprise when, out of the darkness, came a small voice he had never heard before.
It sounded rather thin, but pleasant.
"Do you want a friend, Wilbur?" it said.
"I'll be a friend to you. I've watched you all day and I like you."
"But I can't see you," said Wilbur, jumping to his feet.
"Where are you? And who are you?"
"I'm right up here," said the voice.
"Go to sleep. You'll see me in the morning."

Charlotte

The ngiht seemed long. Wilbur's stomach was empty and his mind was full.
And when your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's always hard to sleep.
A dozen times during the night Wilbur woke and stared into the blackness, listening to the sounds and trying to frigure out what time it was.
A barn is never prefectly quite.
Even at mindnight there is usually something stirring.
The first tiem he woke, he heard Templeton gnawing a hole in the grain bin.
Templeton's teeth scraped loudly against the wood and made quite a racket.
"That crazy rat!" though Wilbur.
"Why does he have to stay up all night, grinding his clashers and destorying people's property? Why can't he go to sleep, like any decent animal?"