Sentence:  But after the doctor 's return that night Alex could see , from the high window in his own room , the now familiar figure crouched on a truly impressive heap of <WSD>towels</WSD> , apparently giving its egg hatching powers one final chance before it was replaced in its office by a sure-enough hen . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping