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“Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears”
Whatheoughttodois,heoughtto—"
"Well,Ishan’tdoit,anyway!"criedToad,gettingexcited."I’mnotgoingtobeorderedaboutbyyoufellows!It’smyhousewe’retalkingabout,andIknowexactlywhattodo,andI’lltellyou.I’mgoingto—"
Bythistimetheywereallthreetalkingatonce,atthetopoftheirvoices,andthenoisewassimplydeafening,whenathin,dryvoicemadeitselfheard,saying,"Bequietatonce,allofyou!"andinstantlyeveryonewassilent.
ItwastheBadger,who,havingfinishedhispie,hadturnedroundinhischairandwaslookingatthemseverely.Whenhesawthathehadsecuredtheirattention,andthattheywereevidentlywaitingforhimtoaddressthem,heturnedbacktothetableagainandreachedoutforthecheese.Andsogreatwastherespectcommandedbythesolidqualitiesofthatadmirableanimal,thatnotanotherwordwasuttered,untilhehadquitefinishedhisrepastandbrushedthecrumbsfromhisknees.TheToadfidgetedagooddeal,buttheRatheldhimfirmlydown.
WhentheBadgerhadquitedone,hegotupfromhisseatandstoodbeforethefireplace,reflectingdeeply.Atlasthespoke.
"Toad,"hesaidseverely.
