"He was here not ten minutes since," I said.
"I don't believe it! Besides, why should he make a pig-pen of the office, answer me that?" stormed Uncle Felix.
"Because he knew I had just cleaned it up, and he wanted to get even with me for that row we had yesterday."
"A likely story, I must say! As if Augustus wasn't beyond such childishness! You did this yourself. I want you to clean it up at once."
"I didn't do——" I began.
"Not another word! Clean it up, I say."
My uncle was in such a savage humor I knew it would be useless for me to attempt to reason with him. So getting a sponge and some water, I began to clean up the muss on the desk. I had hardly cleaned the writing-pad when my uncle stopped me.
"If you are going to take all day, do the job when you come back from the post-office. I want some letters to go in the nine o'clock mail. Here they are."
He shoved the letters into my hand.
"Now don't get them all dirty!" he cried, "or I'll crack you over the head. Be off with you."