The explanation of Skippy's eccentric taste was a perfectly simple one. No sooner had he departed from the lovely presence of Miss Jennie Tupper with only the vaguest idea of what he had pledged himself not to do, but with the liveliest and most disturbing memory of the softest of hands, than he had bitterly repented the prodigal manner in which he had thrown away his opportunities. "Why the deuce didn't I save something out," he said to himself angrily, with a sudden recollection of moonlight nights to come. "My aunt's cat's pants, but I certainly went to sleep." From the parsonage to the Greens', from the soup to the watermelon, but one idea obsessed him: how was he to find something else to swear off? For instinct, which supplants reason in such sentimental voyages, warned him that to such a professional reformer as Miss Jennie Tupper his sole fascination lay in a lively display of original sin. The more he thought it over the more depressed he had become. The truth was that he had outrageously neglected his opportunities and had little to offer. All he could do was to fall back on his imagination and such knowledge of the world as returned to him from an extensive preparation in modern fiction. The trouble with his imagination was it worked too spontaneously. How much better he could have done with a little more preparation! "Gee, I never knew a hand could give you such a fuzzy feeling," he said with a heavy sigh. It was then that he had thought of the Bible and the ten commandments with much resulting perplexity to Snorky. "Well, I'll be eternally dog-switched," he said all at once. "I never would have believed it!" "Believed what?" said Snorky, who was waiting patiently. "Say, these are the ten commandments, aren't they?" "Sure they are!" "Genuine, bona-fide, patent applied for, no imitations, only original ten commandments?" "Keerect." "Well do you know there isn't a thing in them about cigarettes, or booze or penny-ante. Not a word!" "Honest?" "Read 'em yourself," said Skippy indignantly. "It's all about being nice to your neighbor and sitting still on Sunday." "No!" "Fact!" said Skippy, whose real irritation was caused by the fact that the ten commandments did not afford him any suggestion in his new predicament. Suddenly Snorky slapped his shoulder with a resounding whack. "I'm on." "Ouch! On to what?" "Own up! I'm in the same box too," said Snorky with a smirk. "You mean?" "Sure, Margarita's trying the reform racket on me too!" "Oh, she is?" said Skippy, who did not like sharing the honors of a stellar role. "Yep, and you must have been laying it on strong for Margarita's been asking all sorts of questions about you." "Snorky, go the limit--make it strong and stronger," said Skippy, brightening up. "Honest?" "The limit!" "I get you." Skippy took a few steps towards the door and reflected. "When I say the limit--" he said doubtfully. "Leave it to me." "There are some things though."