dog so taken aback. I’m sure he thought I was crazy, and even Minkie said softly:

“Well, I never! Is the ju-ju beginning to work already?”

Odd, isn’t it? She attributed my little joke to that chunk of ivory in her pocket. Anyhow, the mongoose took no liberties with me. When all is said and done, Dan and I are in one camp, and every sort of rat in the other—but I am surprised at Dan.

Now, parcels turn up so continuously at Christmas time that no one else was aware of Rikki’s arrival until he sat up and begged from Mr. Schwartz while our visitor was drinking his soup. The parrot was watching, and made a horrid noise at the right moment, just as Schwartz looked down and saw a pair of fierce red eyes glaring at him. The mongoose put on his best grin, which made matters [Pg 78]worse. Schwartz nearly overturned the dinner-table. I would never have credited six feet of man with being in such a funk. Everybody was glad he expressed his emotions in German—he himself more than the others when he calmed down. Minkie nearly came in for a scolding, but the Guv’nor, who is a real sport, was soon taken by Rikki’s antics, and rather chaffed Schwartz about his alarm.

[Pg 78]

“That is all very well Grosvenor,” said Schwartz, “but you have not lived where poisonous spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and all sorts of snakes come prowling into the house. I have jumped for my life far too often to be ashamed of a momentary forgetfulness that I was in England. Moreover, I was not aware that Millicent was forming a menagerie.”

“I hope to have a monkey soon,” observed Minkie.

“I’ll take jolly good care you don’t,” said her father. “Monkeys are most mischievous brutes, and they disagree with every other animal near them. By the way, has Dan seen your new pet?”

[Pg 79]

[Pg 79]

“Yes. They had quite a romp in the morning-room. You see I had to read Jack’s letter to both Tibbie and Dan before I introduced Rikki.”

“I wish you wouldn’t allude to Captain Stanhope as ‘Jack.’ It argues a familiarity which does not exist.”

“If you are speaking of the young gentleman who hailed you after church to-day, I should say you were justified in that remark,” put in Schwartz.

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