"I didn't say so."
"Yes, you did," said Van crossly; "you said just that very thing, Percy
Whitney, and I'm not a snapping-turtle."
"I said you were as cross as one," said Percy, wishing he hadn't been quite as free with his comparisons, and moving off to a convenient corner.
"Well, that's just the same," said Van, advancing, "and Polly——"
[Transcriber's note: This page in our print copy was obscured by an ink blot. The words in brackets are those that we have supplied based on context and those letters that were visible.]
At the mention of Polly, Percy stopped suddenly, drew a long breath, and never thought of the [corner] again.
"[Why,] we promised her," he gasped; "I forgot all about it."
Down [went Van's] little fist.
"So we [did]," [he] said gloomily, and both boys crept off [together to] the same corner Percy had selected for [himself].
"Whatever shall [we] do [now]?" breathed Percy, quite lost in his dismal reflections.