double quack-quack, you may
know he is feeling very, very miserable, and you don't want to bother him
any more than you can help.

Lulu and Jimmie knew this, and they hurried out of the pen to go to
school. Then their papa felt sorry for them, because, you see, he did not
really mean to be cross, only he knew it was best for them to learn all
they could. So he said "Quack-quack," which meant he was feeling better,
and he added: "When you come home, my dears, you may each have a penny.
Run along now, like good ducks."

So, though Jimmie felt badly about not being able to get up a ball nine,
he waddled along with his sisters, and pretty soon they were at the owl
school, where they met Sammie and Susie Littletail and Billie and Johnnie
Bushytail, and Sister Sallie and Bully, the frog. Yes, they were all
there, and, what's more, they had their lessons, too, so they were not
kept in.

They hurried home after school, Alice and Lulu and Jimmie, I mean, because
this story is about them, you see; and they got their pennies from their
papa, and each one bought some watercress snails, preserved in salted
cornmeal; very fine they were, too, for ducks.

Just as the three Wibblewobble children were finishing the last of the
snails, who should come hopping along but Bully, the frog. He hopped into
the water to cool himself off and then, when he had hopped out again, he
asked:

"I say, Jimmie, are your folks expecting company?"

"I don't think so," answered Jimmie. "I saw mamma setting the table and
she wasn't putting the clean cloth on. No, I guess we're not going to have
company, or there'd be a clean cloth put on. Why do you ask?"

"Because, as I was coming through the woods just now I met a funny looking
creature asking the way to your pen."

"Who was it?" inquired Lulu.

"Oh, it was a nice old lady. She had long hair and she carried a basket
and she wore such a funny bonnet! Two sharp things stuck right out of the
top of it. I offered to show her the way here, but she said I went in the
water so often that she couldn't follow me, for she didn't want to get her
feet wet. You must be going to have company."

"Maybe we are!" cried Alice. "Let's go ask mamma."

So they went, and asked their mother, but she said she did not know of any
company coming, but, for fear some one might come along unexpectedly she
did put the clean table cloth on, and she got out the napkins, and opened
a jar of preserved sweet flag root.

"Co