Here William entered amid wild applause. On the stage he found that his one eye-hole gave him an excellent view of the audience. His mother and father were in the second row. Turning his head round slowly he discovered his sister Ethel sitting with a friend near the back.
"William," hissed the prompter, "go on! 'A wolf am I——'"
But William was engrossed in the audience. There was Mrs. Clive about the middle of the room.
"'A wolf am I'—go on, William!"
William had now found the cook and housemaid in the last row of all and was turning his eye-hole round in search of fresh discoveries.
The prompter grew desperate.
"'A wolf am I—a wolf on mischief bent.' Say it, William."
William turned his wolf's head towards the wings. "Well, I was goin' to say it," he said irritably, "if you'd lef' me alone."
The audience tittered.
"Well, say it," said the voice of the invisible prompter.