Ferdinand Frog did not like Timothy Turtle. But he always said he thought Mr. Turtle could be trusted.  
"You can depend on him," Mr. Frog often remarked. "Yes, you can depend on him to grab you if he ever gets a chance."
 
And all the rest of the musical Frog family agreed with him.
 
It is not surprising, therefore, that they never invited Timothy Turtle to attend their singing parties in Cedar Swamp. It made no difference how much Timothy Turtle hinted. Though he frequentlyp. 111 took pains to tell Ferdinand Frog how fond he was of music, Mr. Frog never once asked him to come to a concert.
 
In private Mr. Frog and his friends often spoke of Mr. Turtle—and giggled. And one of the Frog family even made up a song about Timothy Turtle, which the whole company loved to chant in Cedar Swamp, safe—as they thought—from Timothy's snapping jaws.
 
But one fine summer's evening they had a great surprise. They had scarcely begun their nightly concert when Timothy Turtle appeared, out of the water and crawled upon an old stump, right in their midst.
 
"Good evening!" he cried. "I was just passing on my way home; and hearing the singing, I thought I'd stop and enjoy it."
 
For a few moments none of the Frogp. 112 family said a word. And then Ferdinand Frog spoke up and asked Mr. Turtle a question:
 
"Have you had your dinner?"
 
"No, I haven't," Timothy answered. "But you needn't trouble yourselves on my account. Go on with your singing. And if I feel faint no doubt I can find a bite to eat hereabouts."
 
Now, Mr. Turtle hoped ............