Solomon looked at Mr. Frog very solemnly. And he thought that he shivered.
“What’s the matter? Are you ill?” Solomon Owl inquired. “You seem to be shaking.”
“Just a touch of chills and fever, probably!” replied Mr. Frog with an uneasy smile. “You know it’s very damp here.”
“You don’t look in the best of health—that’s a fact!” Solomon Owl remarked. “You appear to me to be somewhat green in the face.” And he laughed once more—that same hollow, mirthless laugh.
Mr. Frog couldn’t help jumping, because the sound alarmed him.
“Don’t be disturbed!” said Solomon Owl. “I like all the Frog family.”
At that remark, Mr. Frog started violently That was exactly the trouble! Solomon Owl was altogether too fond of frogs, whether they were old or young, big or little.
It was no wonder that Mr. Frog swallowed rapidly sixteen times before he could say another word.
IV
An Odd Bargain
While Mr. Frog was swallowing nothing rapidly, he was thinking rapidly, too. There was something about Solomon Owl’s big, staring eyes that made Mr. Frog feel uncomfortable. And if he had thought he had any chance of escaping he would have dived into the brook and swum under the bank.