understand what
the Poodle said. Tommy plainly heard the dog muttering to himself as he
left the window:

"Espece de John Bull! Il est toujours comme ca!"

But the little boy could not understand what the Poodle meant anymore
than the Bull could, because he had not gotten along any further in his
French exercise-book than "Have you seen the good General's red slippers
under the green table of the wine-merchant's beautiful mother-in-law?"
And he did not recognize any of the words in the Poodle's plaint.

The Bull had been losing his temper pretty rapidly ever since the doors
opened, and he seemed to be waiting for a chance to do or say something
ugly. Pretty soon a couple of harmless and sleepy-looking Oxen came
plodding up the gang-plank and strolled through the doorway.

"Look here!" the Bull shouted at them, "you've got to leave your
chewing-gum outside! No gum-chewing allowed on the Ark!"

One of the Oxen protested, but the Bull asserted that if the Ox made any
trouble he would come outside and settle the matter himself; and so both
Oxen regretfully stuck their chewing-gum under the gang-plank and passed
in. A little while later a Lizard came along and handed in his ticket
through the small window near the floor. The Bull looked at it and
frowned, and then stuck his head out over the counter and glared at the
little Lizard, who positively turned green with fright.

"What do you mean by presenting this ticket?" asked the Bull, savagely.

"Please, sir, I want to come into the Ark," replied the Lizard, meekly.

"Well, you can't get in on this ticket--see?"

"Please, sir, it's the only one I have," continued the Lizard,
trembling.

"Well, look here, young fellow," snorted the Bull, getting angrier as he
spoke; "this ticket is your shape, but it is not your size. You bought
it from a speculator outside!"

"Oh no, sir!" exclaimed the Lizard.

"I don't care what you say. This is the Crocodile's ticket, and it ain't
your size, and you can't get in on it!"

"Please, sir. I did not know," mildly protested the Lizard. "I can't
read, sir."

"Well, don't you know that the pauper, the insane, and the illiterate
are not allowed on this Ark?" roared the Bull, apparently deriving much
pleasure out of the fact that he was scaring the Lizard half to death.
The little fellow did not in the least understand the meaning of these
big words, but he was so frightened by the Bull's ferocious manner that
he turned away and scu