“Well, what’s on the tip of my tongue to tell you,” shouted Mr. Watcher, “I wouldn’t like to tell anybody, not in front of ladies.” With which he pulled down the handkerchief round his neck and stood glaring at the other players with the expression of a fierce cowboy. Mr. Breadcutt in order to quiet the coal-merchant proposed as a game familiar to everybody blind man’s buff. “Not me you don’t blindfold again,” said Mr. Watcher. “And if Mr. Hopkins starts in to try I’ll blindfold him without a handkerchief.” “Well, what about a snack of supper?” suggested the hostess, who felt that the situation required a diversion. And her supper was such a success that before it was over the two rivals were confiding in each other various ways of getting the better of their common enemy, the purchaser. When it was time to adjourn again to the parlour, Bram and Nancy begged to be excused from enjoying themselves any longer in Mrs. Pottage’s company in view of the hard day before them at the Theatre Royal. “You’ve given us such a jolly Christmas, dear Mrs. Pottage,” said Bram. “A lovely Christmas,” Nancy echoed. “Well, I’m sure I’ve enjoyed _my_self, and Mrs. Bugbird said she’s never laughed so much in all her life as what she did when Mr. Fuller was imitating them animals. ‘Lifelike,’ she said they was, and she spent her girlhood on a farm, so that’s a bit of a compliment coming from her. Well, good night. Oh, dear, oh, dear, before we know where we are we shall be seeing in the New Year. I’m bound to say, what with one thing and another life’s full of fun.” CHAPTER X THE PANTOMIME “Now listen, Letizia, you’re to be a very good little girl and do anything that Mrs. Pottage tells you without arguing,” Nancy admonished her small daughter before she left Starboard Alley next morning to dress for the matinée. “Can I take my lamb what Santy Claus gave me to the pantomine?” “Yes, I daresay Mrs. Pottage will let you.” “And my dog? And my monkey? And my rub-a-dub-dub and my wheedle-wheedle and my....” “No, darling, you can take the lamb, but the others must stay at home.” “I aspeck they’ll cry,” Letizia prophesied solemnly. “Because they guessed they was going to the pantomine.” “If she isn’t a regular masterpiece,” the landlady exclaimed. “Oh, dear, oh, dear! She’s got an answer for every blessed thing. Listen, my beauty, we’ll leave the rest of the menargerie to keep John company.” John was the canary, and fortunately this solution commended itself to Letizia, who seemed more hopeful for the happiness of the toys that were going to be left behind. There is no doubt that the presence of Mrs. Pottage and Letizia contributed largely to the success of the Theatre Royal pantomime that afternoon. No false shame deterred Letizia from making it quite clear to the audience that it was her own mother who bearded the Demon King Rat in his sulphurous abode.