tune. Should he go in and search there? Standing irresolute, he
heard a loud cry from his cousin. "Sloped! gone!" Then followed a
muffled sound which Edmund rightly interpreted to be Oscar poking
under the bed with an umbrella; and, then, came a thundering rap on
the door. "Say, Ned," called Oscar, entering immediately, "I'm in
an awful scrape! Your snake's gone!"

"My snake," repeated Edmund, feebly.

"Yes; the one you bought to-day. I saw it in the glass box on your
table."

Edmund remembered that he had left the box in full view when he
went for mice. His face grew red. "Did you let it out?" said he.

"Of course I didn't," Oscar answered. "Did you think I'd do such a
thing? I opened the door to speak to you and I saw it on the table
and I remembered you'd been talking of buying some snakes, so I
knew it was yours. I didn't go into the room at all, but this
afternoon when I came into my own room, Ned, its little green head
was sticking out of my overcoat pocket--ugh! I pretty near put my
hand on it! I'd have called you, but you'd gone, and it wasn't any
use calling Aunt Nellie--she'd just jump on the bed and scream; so
I didn't know what to do, for I can't handle those things like you,
Ned, so I pushed its head down with my tooth brush and pinned up
the pocket with my scarf pin. Then I waited a while for you, and I
thought it had gone into a torpid condition like you read of, and
Jack Dale came for me to go to see a Punch-and-Judy and when I got
back the little deceitful beggar had cleared out! I'm awful sorry,
Ned."