coat?" she demanded sternly.

Uncle Percival's flaccid mouth fell open with a frightened droop, and he
took instantly the demeanour of a small offending schoolboy.

"It--it's only a little present for Angela," he replied. "I thought it
might interest her, but I hardly think you would care for it, Rosa."

"What is it?" persisted Mrs. Payne in her unyielding calmness.

The object moved beneath his coat, and, pulling it out with a timid yet
triumphant gesture, he displayed before their astonished eyes a
squirming white rabbit.

"I hoped it might interest Angela," he repeated, seeking in vain for
sympathy in the three amazed faces.

The rabbit struggled in his grasp, and after holding it suspended a
moment by the nape of its neck, he cuddled it again beneath his coat. "A
woman was selling them in the street," he explained in a suppressed
voice. "She had a box filled with them. I bought only one."

"That was fortunate," returned Mrs. Payne, severely, "for you will have
to carry the creature back at once--or drown it if you prefer."

"But I thought Angela would like it," he said with a disappointed look.

Angela closed her eyes as if shutting out an irritating sight.

"What in the world would I do with a white rabbit?" she enquired.