her that he had spent the whole day tramping through the Green Forest
looking for an old friend, whose voice he had thought he heard, when he
ought to have been helping her find a dinner for the eight little Possums.
No, Sir, Unc' Billy hadn't a word to say.

My, my, my, how old Mrs. Possum did scold, as she came down the great
hollow tree to get the two eggs. Unc' Billy knew that he deserved every bit
of it. He felt very miserable, and he was too tired to have a bit of spirit
left. So he just sat at the foot of the great hollow tree and said nothing,
while old Mrs. Possum bit a hole in the end of one egg and began to suck
it. All the time she was looking at Unc' Billy with those sharp eyes of
hers. When she had finished the egg, she pushed the other over to him.

"Yo' eat that!" she said shortly. "Yo' look as if yo' hadn't had anything
to eat to-day" (which was true). "Then yo' hustle up to bed; it's all ready
fo' yo'."

Unc' Billy did as he was bid, and as he tucked himself into his snug, warm
bed he murmured sleepily:

"Ol' Mrs. Possum has a sharp, sharp tongue,
But her bark is worse than her bite.
For Ol' Mrs. Possum has a soft, soft heart
Though she hides it way out of sight."




V