The next trick in the game of Mumbledy Peg was to twirl the knife from
the tip of the first finger, then from the second, and so on. When
Marmaduke tried it from the third finger, the knife fell on its point,
quivered feebly as if it were sick, then fell over on its side, only
part way up in the air.

"Can you get two fingers under it--between the blade and the ground?"
said the Toyman eagerly. "If you can, it's all right."

"_You_ try?" said Marmaduke.

"What--with _these_ fingers?" laughed the Toyman, "you'd better
try yours--you'd have more of a chance."

So Marmaduke tried, and just managed to squeeze his two smallest
between the blade and the ground. But when he tried twirling it from
his last finger he failed. The knife fell over on its side, and he
couldn't squeeze any two of his fingers, even the smallest, between
the grass and the blade.

"Oh dear!" he exclaimed, "I always miss with my 'pinky.'"

However, the Toyman missed with his fourth finger, and Marmaduke was
still ahead.

"I'm off my game," the Toyman explained a little later, as he threw
the knife over his left shoulder and failed, "and you're in rare
form!"

Now this was strange, for the Toyman was so good at work and games and