“Daddy!” cried Twaddles suddenly. “Oh, Daddy, I dropped Bobby’s knife!”
Twaddles never went out in the car that he didn’t drop something. His family were used to his habit and sometimes Father Blossom stopped the car and sometimes he didn’t. It depended on what Twaddles dropped. This time Father Blossom knew he could not have dropped anything in the road because he was safely tucked in between Bobby and himself.
“Daddy, make Twaddles leave my knife alone!” said Bobby. “He never even asks me if he can have it and he’s always losing it. It’s my knife.”
“I’ll get down and pick it up for you,” offered Twaddles generously.
“You leave it alone!” cried Bobby furiously. “I’ll get it myself, and if you ever touch it again——” Bobby didn’t say what would happen, but from the frown on his face Twaddles was left to guess that it would be mighty serious.
However, Twaddles had a will of his own and he began to wriggle, intending to slip down to the floor and recover the knife. Bobby flung his arm around him to hold him and then, as Twaddles kicked, Bobby began to kick, too.
“Children!” said Mother Blossom in warning, but she was too late.
Father Blossom stopped the car.
“Meg and Dot, change places with Bobby and Twaddles,” he said very quietly. “Hurry, please, and don’t keep us waiting.”
Sam Layton often threatened to make them change places when they argued, but this was the first time it had ever really happened to them. Poor Bobby and Twaddles got slowly down and Meg and Dot crawled out and up on the front seat with Father Blossom. Then, when the robes and blankets were all fixed again, they drove on. Bobby and Twaddles were very quiet for half an hour and Meg and Dot did not talk much, either. Father and Mother Blossom and the guests had the conversation all to themselves.