Page:The animal story book.djvu/29

 conversation was a trifle insipid. An hour later Tom was alone! So fleeting is public favour.

And now the hour of departure drew near. The pit



'THE MINUET WAS TOM'S GREATEST TRIUMPH'

was thinning and the boxes empty, and pale rays of morning light were glinting into the hall when the boxopener, who was going her rounds, heard sounds of snoring proceeding from one of the stage boxes. She opened