"I was only speaking in—a—a allegory fashion," he said. "I'm not going to sell my clothes; I was thinking of the world and all the people in it who have bills they can't pay. Why, if Christina and I—" here he kicked Christina under the table, for he was treading on delicate ground—"had a bill to pay and we hadn't the money, it would be quite right if we sold some of our own toys and things!"
"It would be quite wrong for you to have any bill that you could not pay," said his sister, looking at him suspiciously.
Puggy crammed his mouth with bread and jam; for an instant he looked up stolidly into his sister's face, then went on eating steadily.
Mrs. Maclahan glanced from him to Christina, who turned colour and looked scared at once.
"I am not naturally suspicious," said Mrs. Maclahan, "but I am sure you two children have been up to something. What is it?"
"We've been up to lots of things," said Puggy readily. "And we're up to be taken to the Zoo to-day. We haven't been there yet."
"You must wait till to-morrow. I'll take you there myself, and Dawn can come too. It is the only day you have, for we shall be returning home on Saturday!"
"Hurray! We'll send Dawn a telegram, shall we, so that he may know at once?"
Puggy had turned the conversation, as he had meant to do, but Christina did not feel any happier. When her father asked her if she would like to come out for a walk in the gardens with him she did not respond as cheerfully as usual. Puggy had a word with her before she went.
"Mind you don't split on us!" he said severely.