out further warning, the uncle, three other gentlemen, and
two ladies burst upon the scene.

We had no clothes on to speak of--I mean us boys. We were all wet
through. Daisy was in a faint or a fit, or dead, none of us then knew
which. And all the stuffed animals were there staring the uncle in the
face. Most of them had got a sprinkling, and the otter and the duck-bill
brute were simply soaked. And three of us were dark brown. Concealment,
as so often happens, was impossible.

The quick brain of Oswald saw, in a flash, exactly how it would strike
the uncle, and his brave young blood ran cold in his veins. His heart
stood still.

"What's all this--eh, what?" said the tones of the wronged uncle.

Oswald spoke up and said it was jungles we were playing, and he didn't
know what was up with Daisy. He explained as well as any one could, but
words were now in vain.

The uncle had a Malacca cane in his hand, and we were but ill prepared
to meet the sudden attack. Oswald and H. O. caught it worst. The other
boys were under the tigers--and, of course, my uncle would not strike a
girl. Denny was a visitor and so got off. But it was bread and water for
us for the next three days, and our own rooms. I will not tell you how
we sought to vary the monotonousness of imprisonment. Oswald thought of
taming a mouse, but he could not find one. The reason of the wretched
captives might have given way but for the gutter that you can crawl
along from our room to the girls'. But I will not dwell on this because
you might try it yourselves, and it really is dangerous. When my father
came home we got the talking to, and we said we were sorry--and we
really were--especially about Daisy, though she had behaved with
muffishness, and then it was settled that we were to go into the country
and stay till we had grown into better children.

Albert's uncle was writing a book in the country; we were to go to his
house. We were glad of this--Daisy and Denny too. This we bore nobly. We
knew we had deserved it. We were all very sorry for everything, and we
resolved that for the future we _would_ be good.

I am not sure whether we kept this resolution or not. Oswald thinks now
that perhaps we made a mistake in trying so very hard to be good all at
once. You should do everything by degrees.

* * * * *

_P.S._--It turned out Daisy was not really dead at all. It was only
fainting--so like a girl.

* *