WILLIAM AGAIN [Illustration: "GOOD MORNING, LITTLE BOY," SAID THE VISITOR. "UMPH!" REPLIED WILLIAM. "WHAT'S YOUR NAME, DEAR?" SHE ASKED. "PETER," SAID WILLIAM.] WILLIAM AGAIN BY RICHMAL CROMPTON [Illustration] ILLUSTRATED BY THOMAS HENRY LONDON GEORGE NEWNES, LIMITED SOUTHAMPTON ST., STRAND, W.C. _First Published_ _June 1923_ _Reprinted_ _September 1923_ _Reprinted_ _December 1923_ _Reprinted_ _February 1924_ _Reprinted_ _July 1924_ _Reprinted_ _November 1924_ _Reprinted_ _January 1925_ _Reprinted_ _July 1925_ _Reprinted_ _November 1925_ _Reprinted_ _February 1926_ _Reprinted_ _August 1926_ _Reprinted_ _December 1926_ _Reprinted_ _July 1927_ _Reprinted_ _January 1928_ _Reprinted_ _November 1928_ _Reprinted_ _October 1929_ _Reprinted_ _October 1930_ _Reprinted_ _October 1931_ _Reprinted_ _October 1932_ _Reprinted_ _November 1933_ _Reprinted_ _December 1934_ _Reprinted_ _August 1936_ _Reprinted_ _October 1937_ _Reprinted_ _May 1939_ _Reprinted_ _February 1940_ _Printed in Great Britain by Wyman & Sons, Limited, London, Fakenham and Reading._ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. WHAT DELAYED THE GREAT MAN 11 II. THE CURE 29 III. THAT BOY 44 IV. WILLIAM THE REFORMER 58 V. NOT MUCH 74 VI. WILLIAM AND THE WHITE CAT 92 VII. WILLIAM'S SECRET SOCIETY 108 VIII. THE NATIVE PROTÉGÉ 133 IX. JUST WILLIAM'S LUCK 148 X. THE GREAT DETECTIVE 166 XI. THE CIRCUS 181 XII. WILLIAM SELLS THE TWINS 197 XIII. WILLIAM'S HELPING HAND 214 XIV. WILLIAM GETS WRECKED 233 TO TOMMY CHAPTER I WHAT DELAYED THE GREAT MAN WILLIAM, taking his character as a whole, was not of the artistic genre. He had none of the shrinking sensitiveness and delicate imaginativeness of the true artist. But the fact remains that this summer he was impelled by some inner prompting to write a play.