r hand, seemed
annoyed, possibly because it was not so easy to read in that form.
Meanwhile, the clown busied himself in emptying the butter-dish into his
pockets, and this did shock the boy a little, for he knew it was not
polite to pocket things at meals, and wondered how he could be so nasty.

Breakfast was over at last, and the clown took Tommy's arm and walked
upstairs to the first floor with him.

'Who's in there?' he asked, as they passed the spare bedroom.

'Granny,' said the boy; 'she's staying with us; only she always has
breakfast in her room, you know.'

'Why, you don't mean to say you've got a granny!' cried the clown, with
joy; 'you are a nice little boy; now we'll have some fun with her.'
Tommy felt doubtful whether she could be induced to join them so early
in the morning, and said so. 'You knock, and say you've got a present
for her if she'll come out,' suggested the clown.

'But I haven't,' objected Tommy; 'wouldn't that be a story?' He had
unaccountably forgotten his old fondness for 'sells.'

'Of course it would,' said the clown; 'I'm always a tellin' of 'em, I
am.'

Tommy was shocked once more, as he realised that his friend was not a
_truthful_ clown. But he knocked at the door, nevertheless, and asked
his grandmother to come out and see a friend of his.

'Wait one minute, my boy,' she answered, 'and I'll come out.'

Tommy was surprised to see his companion preparing to lie, face
downwards, on the mat just outside the door.

'Get up,' he said; 'you'll trip grandma up if you stay there.'

'That's what I'm doing it for, stoopid,' said the clown.

'But it will hurt her,' he cried.

'Nothing hurts old women,' said the clown; 'I've tripped up 'undreds of
'em, and I ought to know.'

'Well, you shan't trip up my granny, anyhow,' said Tommy, stoutly; for
he was not a bad-hearted boy, and his grandmother had given him a
splendid box of soldiers on Christmas Day. 'Don't come out, granny; it's
a mistake,' he shouted.

The clown rose with a look of disgust.

'Do you call this actin' like a friend to me?' he demanded.

'Well,' said Tommy, apologetically, 'she's my granny, you see.'

'She ain't _my_ granny, and, if she was, I'd let you trip her up, I
would; _I_ ain't selfish. I shan't stop with you any longer.'

'Oh, do,' said Tommy; 'we'll go and play somewhere else.'

'Well,' said the clown, relenting, 'if you're a good boy you shall see
me make a butter-slide in the hall.'

Then Tomm