10 The Lost Idea

he should be unable to hold the grand recep-
tion which he had arranged for, if he did not
get his boots ; but Timothy would not go on
with them.

Timothy became a nuisance to everybody.
Mr. Joseph, the vicar, looking into a shop
window, felt a hand in his coat
tail pocket, and found Timothy
searching in it.

“This is a great liberty!”
said the vicar. ‘ Whatever
are you doing?”

‘Looking for my Idea,”
said Timothy.

Then Mrs. William, the
draper’s wife, returning home one day, found
her parlour all upside down, with all the
cupboards turned out, the covering of the
arm-chair unpicked, and the carpet pulled
up; and there was Timothy feeling under-
neath it.

“I’m surprised at you, Mr. Timothy!” said
Mrs. draper. ‘“ You must have gone mad!”

‘Not I,” said Timothy; “I’m looking for
my Idea.”