, sternly.
"How can I get on if you keep takin' all the time up _sayin'_ get on?
I can't get on if you're talkin', can I?"

"It was the Hesper Schoonerus that sailed the wintry sea an' I'm not
goin' on if Ethel's goin' to keep gigglin'. It's not a funny piece,
an' if she's goin' on gigglin' like that I'm not sayin' any more of
it."

"Ethel, dear!" murmured Mrs. Brown, reproachfully. Ethel turned her
chair completely round and left her back only exposed to William's
view. He glared at it suspiciously.

"Now, William dear," continued his mother, "begin again and no one
shall interrupt you."

William again went through the preliminaries of coughing and clearing
his throat.

"_It was the schooner Hesperus that sailed the wintry seas._"

He stopped again, and slowly and carefully straightened his collar and
smoothed back the lock of hair which was dangling over his brow.

"_The skipper had brought----_" prompted Aunt Jane, kindly.

William turned on her.

"I was _goin'_ to say that if you'd left me alone," he said. "I was
jus' thinkin'. I've got to think sometimes. I can't say off a great
long pome like that without stoppin' to think sometimes, can I?
I'll--I'll do a conjuring trick for you instead," he burst out,
desperately. "I've learnt one from my book. I'll go an' get it ready."

He went out of the room. Mr. Brown took out his handkerchief and
mopped his brow.

"May I ask," he said patiently, "how long this exhibition is to be
allowed to continue?"

Here William returned, his pockets bulging. He held a large
handkerchief in his hand.

"This is a handkerchief," he announced. "If anyone'd like to feel it
to see if it's a real one, they can. Now I want a shilling," he looked
round expectantly, but no one moved, "or a penny would do," he said,
with a slightly disgusted air. Robert threw one across the room.
"Well, I put the penny into the handkerchief. You can see me do it,
can't you? If anyone wants to come an' feel the penny is in the
handkerchief, they can. Well," he turned his back on them and took
something out of his pocket. After a few contortions he turned round
again, holding the handkerchief tightly. "Now, you look close,"--he
went over to them--"an' you'll see the shil--I mean, penny," he looked
scornfully at Robert, "has changed to an egg. It's a real egg. If
anyone thinks it isn't a real egg----"

But it _was_ a real egg. It confirmed his statement by giving a
resounding crack and sendi