n equal suspicion.'

'If you ask my opinion,' said the Puddin' cynically, 'them
puddin'-thieves are too clever for you; and, what's more, they're better
eaters than you. Why,' said the Puddin', sneering at Bill, 'I'll back
one puddin'-thief to eat more in a given time than three Puddin'-owners
put together.'

'These are very treacherous sentiments, Albert,' said Bill sternly.
'These are very ignoble and shameless words,' but the Puddin' merely
laughed scornfully, and called Bill a bun-headed old beetle-crusher.

'Very well,' said Bill, enraged, 'we shall see if a low puddin'-thief is
better than a noble Puddin'-owner. When you see the terrible suspicions
I shall indulge in to-day you'll regret them words.'

To prove his words Bill insisted on closely inspecting everybody he met,
in case they should be puddin'-thieves in disguise.

To start off with, they had an unpleasant scene with a Kookaburra, a low
larrikin who resented the way that Bill examined him.

'Who are you starin' at, Poodle's Whiskers?' he asked.

[Illustration]

'Never mind,' said Bill. 'I'm starin' at you for a good an' sufficient
reason.'

'Are yer?' said the Kookaburra. 'Well, all I can say is that if yer
don't take yer dial outer the road I'll bloomin' well take an' bounce a
gibber off yer crust,' and he followed them for quite a long way,
singing out insulting things such as, 'You with the wire whiskers,' and
'Get onter the bloke with the face fringe.'

Bill, of course, treated this conduct with silent contempt. It was his
rule through life, he said, never to fight people with beaks.

The next encounter they had was with a Flying-fox who, though not so
vulgar and rude as the Kookaburra, was equally enraged because, as Bill
had suspicions that he was the Possum disguised, he insisted on
measuring him to see if he was the same length.

'Nice goings on, indeed,' said the Flying-fox, while Bill was measuring
him, 'if a man can't go about his business without being measured by
total strangers. A nice thing, indeed, to happen to Finglebury
Flying-fox, the well-known and respected fruit stealer.'

However, he was found to be six inches too short, so they let him go,
and he hurried off, saying, 'I shall have the Law on you for this,
measuring a man in a public place without being licensed as a tailor.'

[Illustration]

The third disturbance due to Bill's suspicions occurred while Bunyip
Bluegum was in a grocer's shop. They had run out of te