Oswald had a birthday-card or two--that was all; but he did not repine, because he knew they always make it up to you for putting off keeping your birthday, and he looked forward to Saturday.
Albert's uncle had a whole stack of letters as usual, and presently he tossed one over to Dora, and said, 'What do you say, little lady?
Shall we let them come ?' But Dora, butter-fingered as ever, missed the catch, and Dick and Noel both had a try for it, so that the letter went into the place where the bacon had been, and where now only a frozen-looking lake of bacon fat was slowly hardening, and then somehow it got into the marmalade, and then H.O.got it, and Dora said-- 'I don't want the nasty thing now--all grease and stickiness.' So H.O.
read it aloud-- MAIDSTONE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUITIES AND FIELD CLUB Aug.

14, 1900 'DEAR SIR,--At a meeting of the--' H.O.stuck fast here, and the writing was really very bad, like a spider that has been in the ink-pot crawling in a hurry over the paper without stopping to rub its feet properly on the mat.

So Oswald took the letter.

He is above minding a little marmalade or bacon.

He began to read.