“Poor Frank!” exclaimed several laughing voices.
“Well, at last Fudge found words, and in such a tone, exclaimed, ‘Mrs. Guppy! who is this, then?’ Then she stormed out; ‘Ay, sir, who is it, indeed? perhaps you will inquire.’ I didn't see what followed, for my range of vision was rather circumscribed—but I imagine that doctor pulled off part of Frank's disguise, for the next words I heard were, ‘Digby, this is intolerable!’ uttered in the doctor's most magnificent anger—‘What is the meaning of this?’ Frank said something about a wager and a little fun, meaning no harm, et cetera; and Fudge gave him such a lecture, finishing off by declaring, that ‘if he persisted in perpetrating such senseless follies he should find some other place to do so in than his house.’ All the little boys were laughing, but doctor stopped them all with a thundering ‘Silence!’ and then he asked what Frank had in that cup. ‘Cold tea, sir,’ said Digby, quite meekly. ‘And what's this at the bottom?’ ‘Sugar, sir,’ I saw the doctor's face—it was not one to be trifled with, but there seemed a sort of grim smile there, too, when he gave the cup to Frank and insisted upon his drinking it all up; and Digby did it, too—he dared not refuse.”
Another peal of laughter rang through the room, in which Hamilton joined heartily.
“Then,” continued Salisbury, “doctor said he hoped he would feel a little better for his dose—and, becoming as grave as before, he desired he would return Mrs. Guppy's things, and beg her pardon for his impertinence.”
“He didn't do so, surely?” said Jones.
“He did, though,” replied Salisbury; “and I wouldn't have been him if he'd been obstinate; but he added—I wondered how even he dared—I've saved you a little trouble, ma'am, there are six of them in bed.”
“Oh! oh! disgraceful!” exclaimed Hamilton.
“What did Fudge say?” asked Smith.
“ ‘This to my face, sir!’ and then, what he was going to do I don't know, but Frank was quite frightened, and begged pardon so very humbly that at last Fudge let him off with five hundred lines of Virgil to be done before Wednesday evening, and then sent him to bed—and there he is, for he was too much alarmed to play any more tricks.”
“I'd have given something to have seen it,” cried one, when the laugh was a little over.