y saw how he had wronged him in thinking he had pocketed the
butter out of mere greediness, and he felt ashamed and penitent; the
clown made a beautiful slide, though Tommy wished he would not insist
upon putting all the butter that was left down his back.

'There's a ring at the bell,' said the clown; 'I'll open the door, and
you hide and see the fun.'

So Tommy hid himself round a corner as the door opened.

'Walk in, sir,' said the clown, politely.

'Master Tommy in?' said a jolly, hearty voice. It was dear old Uncle
John, who had taken him to the pantomime the night before. 'I thought
I'd look in and see if he would care to come with me to the
Crystal----oh!' And there was a scuffling noise and a heavy bump.

Tommy ran out, full of remorse. Uncle John was sitting on the tiles
rubbing his head, and, oddly enough, did not look at all funny.

'Oh, uncle,' cried the boy, 'you're not hurt? I didn't know it was you!'

'I'm a bit shaken, my boy, that's all,' said his uncle; 'one doesn't
come down like a feather at my age.' And he picked himself slowly up.
'Well, I must get home again,' he said; 'no Crystal Palace to-day,
Tommy, after this. Good-bye.'

And he went slowly out, leaving Tommy with the feeling that he had had
enough of slides. He even wiped the flooring clean again with a
waterproof and the clothes-brush, though the clown (who had been hiding)
tried to prevent him.

'We ain't 'ad 'arf the fun out of it yet!' he complained (he always
spoke in rather a common way, as Tommy began to notice with pain).

'I've had enough,' said Tommy. 'It was my Uncle John who slipped down
that time, and he's hurt, and he'd come to take me to the Crystal
Palace!'

'Well, he hadn't come to take _me_,' said the clown; 'you are stingy
about your relations, you are; you ain't 'arf a boy for a bit o' fun.'

Tommy felt this rebuke very much, he had hoped so to gain the clown's
esteem; but he would not give in, he only suggested humbly that they
should go up into the play-room.

The play-room was at the top of the house, and Barbara and two little
sisters of Tommy's were playing there when they came in, the clown
turning in his toes and making awful faces.

The two little girls ran into a corner, and seemed considerably
frightened by the stranger's appearance, but Barbara reassured them.

'Don't take any notice,' she said, 'it's only a horrid friend of
Tommy's. He won't interfere with _us_.'

'Oh, Barbara,' the boy prote