Aunt Polly caught him as he stumbled over a pan.
“Shut the door,” she told Tom crisply, “and lock it.” Then she took the pottering inventor [[19]]by the arm and led him from the room. “Go back to your book,” she ordered, “We don’t need you here.”
“But, Polly——”
She got him out of the kitchen. Then she sort of went to pieces.
“Oh, Tommy!” she cried, trembling, her eyes filled with fear. “It’s one of Gennor’s spies. You know how they’ve been searching the country for your pa. They’ve come to steal his invention. What shall we do?”
“I wish I knew,” said Tom, looking dizzy.
Scoop’s eyes were snapping.
“Why,” he spoke up, taking the lead, sort of, “the thing for us to do is to save the frog.”
Aunt Polly gave a gesture of despair.
“We might as well give up,” she cried, sinking into a chair. “For we stand no chance against Gennor.”