he disgusting sentimentality that
was so characteristic of her, abandoned her position altogether and
said that Jeremy could have it, and then cried again because he said he
didn't want it.

Then Jeremy had to put everything back into the box again, and in the
middle of this Hamlet ran off with the red-checked Miss Noah between
his teeth and began to lick the blue off her dress, looking up at the
assembled company between every lick with a smile of the loveliest
satisfaction. Then, when the box was almost closed, it was discovered by
a shocked and virtuous Helen that Jeremy had left out his Bible.

"There'll be one there," said Jeremy in an angry agitated whisper,
hoping to escape the attention of Miss Jones.

"What's that, Jeremy dear?" said Miss Jones.

"Oh, fancy, Miss Jones!" said Helen. "He's taking all his dirty old toys
and even his old clown, and he's leaving out his Bible."

"I'm not!" cried Jeremy, taking it and trying to squeeze it down between
three walnuts and the toy pistol.

"Oh, Jeremy clear, that's not the way to treat your Bible. I'll give you
some paper to wrap it up in, and you'd better take the things out again
and put it in at the bottom of the box." Yes, obviously he would not be
ready in time.

The matter of Hamlet and the "lead" was also very exhausting. Hamlet had
never, in all his days, been tied to anyone or anything. Of course no
one could tell what had been his history before he came strolling on to
the Cole horizon, and it may be that once as a very small puppy he had
been tied on to something. On the whole, that is probable, his
protests on this occasion being of a kind so vehement as to argue some
reminiscences behind them. Mrs. Cole had bought a beautiful "lead" of
black leather; of course he had already a collar studded with little
silver nails, and the point was very simply to fasten the "lead" on to
the collar. Jeremy had been promised that he should conduct Hamlet, and
it had seemed, when the promise had been made, as though it would be a
very simple thing to carry out. Hamlet no sooner saw the cord than he
began his ingenious protests, sitting up and smiling at it, suddenly
darting at the recumbent Miss Noah and rushing round the room with her,
finally catching the "lead" itself in his teeth and hiding with it under
Miss Jones's skirt.

The result was that Tom Collins's bus arrived when no one in the
schoolroom was in the least prepared for it. Then what confusion there
w