Bob Robinson's Baby 163

“Meaning, of course, worms and grubs ?”
put in the rook.

B. Robinson drew himself up and sniffed.
“If you will avoid these interruptions,” he
said, “I will proceed. Yes—I allude to
worms and grubs—to under-
stand that all the buried trea-
sure is, as it were, Crown
property—I representing the
Crown, of course. I have had
reason to suspect, from time
to time, that he subcutaneously
disposes of some of the articles.
Of course I don’t mind it if he
merely eats a few himself. One
mustn't muzzle the mouth
of the ox unless he treads Sze
on one’s corns; and he
would tread on my corns
by selling any of my worms and grubs.”

“Of course they are valuable property?”
said the rook.

“Certainly!” said B. Robinson; “most
marketable article—sort of medium of ex-
change; in point of fact those and red-