But the Frenchman being there, thought that he could get still further
into the seat. So he twisted and edged, but Jasper slipped neatly in,
and looked calmly up at him. The Frenchman, unable to get his balance,
sat down in Jasper's lap. But he bounded up again, blue with rage.

"What's all this?" demanded Mr. King, who never could speak French in a
hurry, being very elegant at it, and exceedingly careful as to his
accent. Phronsie turned pale and clung to his hand.

"Nothing," said Jasper, in English, "only this person chose to try to
take my seat, and I chose to have it myself."

"You take yourself off," commanded Mr. King, in an irate voice to the
French individual, "or I'll see that some one attends to your case."

Not understanding the language, all might have gone well, but the
French person could interpret the expression of the face under the
white hair, and he accordingly left a position in front of Jasper to
sidle up toward Mr. King's seat in a threatening attitude. At that
Jasper got out of his seat again and went to his father's side. Little
Dr. Fisher also skipped up.

"See here you, Frenchy, stop your parley vousing, and march down those
stairs double quick," cried the little doctor, standing on his tiptoes
and bristling with indignation. His big spectacles had slipped to the
end of his nose, his sharp little eyes blazing above them.

"Frenchy" stared at him in amazement, unable to find his tongue. And
then he saw another gentleman in the person of the parson, who was just