"Goodness gracious, what an awful dose!" said Dorothy, with a shudder.
"That doesn't make any difference so long as he won't take it," said Sir Walter; and here he flew into a tremendous passion, and began beating the Camel about the head so furiously with the bottle that Dorothy cried out, "Here—stop that instantly!"
"He doesn't mind it no more than if he was a bolster," put in the Highlander. "Set him up again and let's see him fall down," he added, rubbing his hands together with a relish.
"Indeed, you'll do nothing of the sort," exclaimed Dorothy, with great indignation; and, snatching the Camel from the Admiral's lap, she carried him into the grocer's shop and set him down upon the floor. The Camel looked about for a moment with a very mournful expression on his face, and then climbed into one of the drawers that was standing open, and pulled it to after him as a person might close a door, and Dorothy, after watching this remarkable performance with great wonderment, went out again.
The Caravan had lost no time, and were standing on the bench, putting up a little sign on the front of the shop with "CAMEL FOR SALE" on it, and Dorothy, trying not to laugh, said, "Is this your shop?"
"Yes," replied the Admiral, with an important air. "The grocer's been sold for a cook because he had an apron on, and we've taken the business."
"What are you going to keep?" asked Dorothy, who was vastly amused at this idea.
"Why, we're going to keep the shop," said the Admiral, climbing down from the bench and staring at her in great surprise.
"But you must certainly keep things to sell," said Dorothy.
"How can we keep things if we sell 'em?" inquired Sir Walter.