"He's swallowing the tape!" they cried, pointing to Mr. Frog.
It was true. Beneath their horrified gaze the tape-measure disappeared little by little inside Mr. Frog's mouth. And before any of them could come to his senses and seize the end of the yellow strip, it had vanished from view completely.
Of course they saw that the tailor could work no longer that evening. So they filed sadly out of the shop.
"How did it happen?" they asked Mr. Frog, who was already locking his door.
"The tape stuck to my tongue," he explained. "Everything does, you know. But it doesn't matter, because I was hungry. And now I feel better."
So Mr. Frog reached the singing-party in time, after all.
XIV
AN UNPLEASANT MIX-UP
For a long time after he took the measurements of the Beaver family Mr. Frog kept carefully out of sight. Though several of the Beavers visited his shop every day, they always found the door locked and the shades drawn. But from various odd sounds—such as giggles and titters and snickers—which they heard by listening at the keyhole, they knew that the tailor was inside.