EY INTERLUDE.

"Well, here's something new, and no mistake," cried Billy.

"Good, it will help pass our morning," declared Noddy, who was beginning
to find time hang heavily on his hands now that he had nobody to play
pranks on, like those he used to torment poor Pompey with.

An Italian was coming up the road toward the hotel. Strapped across his
shoulders was a small hand-organ. He led a trained bear, and two monkeys
squatted on the big creature's back. He came to a halt near the grinning
boys.

"Hurray! This is going to be as good as a circus!" declared Noddy.
"Start up your performance, professor."

"They're off!" cried Billy.

Summer residents of the hotel, anxious for any diversion out of the
ordinary, came flocking to the scene as the strains of the barrel organ
reached their ears, and the bear, in a clumsy fashion, began to dance to
the music of the ear-piercing instrument.

"Where are you going, Noddy?" asked Jack, as the red-headed lad tried to
get quietly out of the crowd.

"I just saw a chance for a little fun," rejoined Noddy innocently.

"Well, be careful," warned Jack. "This is no place for such jokes as you
used to play on Pompey."

"Oh, nothing like that," Noddy assured him as he hurried off.

"Just the same I'm afraid of Noddy when he starts getting humorous,"
thought Jack.

He would have been still more afraid if he could have seen Noddy make
his way to the hotel kitchen and bribe a kitchen maid to get him three
large sugar cakes. Then he made his way to the dining-room, and boring
tiny holes in the buns filled each of them with red pepper from the
casters.

"Now for some fun," he chuckled.

"I just know that boy is up to some mischief by the look on his face,"
remarked an old lady as he hurried by.

Quite a big crowd was round the Italian when Noddy got back. Almost as
soon as he arrived the man began passing the hat, and taking advantage
of this, Noddy proffered his buns to the animals. They accepted them
greedily.

"Peep! Peep!" chattered the monkeys.

"You mean 'pep,' 'pep'," chuckled Noddy to himself.

Both bear and monkeys tore into their buns as if they were half starved.
In their hunger they got a few mouthfuls down without appearing to
notice that anything was wrong. Then suddenly one of the monkeys hurled
his bun at the bear and the other leaped on the big hairy creature's
head. Apparently they thought the innocent bear had something to do with
the trick that had be