Here William entered. He looked quickly at the table.

"Who's meddlin' with my frog?" he said angrily. "It's my hobby, an'
I'm stuffin' frogs an' someone's been an' took my frog. I left it on
the table."

"On the table?" said his mother.

"Yes. In a cup of tea. Gettin' tannin.' You know. For stuffin'. I was
puttin' him in tannin' first. I----"

Uncle George grew pale. In frozen silence he put a spoon into his cup
and investigated the contents. In still more frozen silence Mrs. Brown
and William watched. That moment held all the cumulative horror of a
Greek tragedy. Then Uncle George put down his cup and went silently
from the room. On his face was the expression of one who is going to
look up the first train home. Fate had sent him a buffet he could not
endure with equanimity, a misfortune at which he could not smile, and
Fate had avenged William for much.




CHAPTER VI

THE RIVALS


William was aware of a vague feeling of apprehension when he heard