"My name is Totts," he interrupted.
"To be sure!" I exclaimed. "Who has not read The Fuel of the Future?"
"I haven't," said Totts.
I corrected myself hastily. "What an absurd slip of the tongue!" I gayly ejaculated. "I meant Mustard Plasters in Pharaoh's Time."
"I haven't read that, either," said Totts.
I should now have been at some loss, but a plaintive voice behind me said, "Hup, hup, hup, hup."
I turned, and saw a smiling little old man, with delicate silver locks that hung well-nigh to his collar.
"Hup, hup," said he again, very amiably.
I turned back to Totts in bewilderment.
"He stutters," Totts explained.