It seemed hours to Blinky before he saw a green body silently lift itself out of the water and slide on to a lily-leaf where Mrs Spotty had stood. The big frog eyed Blinky curiously, never moving and ready to slip back again into the water at a moment’s notice.

The big frog eyed Blinky curiously.

“Are you Mrs Spotty?” Blinky quietly inquired.

“Yes, that’s me,” came the reply. “What do you want?”

“I came to see your school and hear the frogs sing, and I wish you’d let me come to school too,” said Blinky plaintively.

“We don’t have bears in our school as a rule,” said Mrs Spotty; “but I’ve no objection to you joining the class if you behave yourself. Have you been to school before?”

“No, Mrs Spotty,” Blinky replied, “but I’ve travelled quite a long way.”

“Can you play leap-frog and swim?” asked Mrs Spotty.

“No, I can’t do any of those things,” Blinky replied, “but I can climb gum-trees.”

Mrs Spotty’s eyes looked more like those motor-car lights down by Miss Pimm’s store than anything else he had ever seen, Blinky thought; and they were such poppy ones too.

“Can you jump?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Blinky joyfully, “I can jump very high.”

“How high?” asked Mrs Spotty.

“Oh, as high as a tree,” Blinky replied.

“Well, I think you may be of assistance to me in teaching the tadpoles how to jump. Come over to me, while I have a good look at you. But stop!” and Mrs Spotty turned three shades paler in green. Balancing herself on the edge of the leaf she looked at Blinky and said in a very slow voice:

“DO YOU EAT FROGS?”

“I’ve never tasted them, so I don’t know,” Blinky replied.

“Do you eat frogs?” Mrs Spotty asked.

“Well, don’t start,” Mrs Spotty said in a cross voice. “Now you may come over and sit on the leaf beside me.”

“I can’t swim. I told you I couldn’t,” Blinky wailed.

“Oh, well, sit on the bank and watch me put the class through their paces. By the way, what’s that funny looking thing in the middle of your face?”

“That’s my nose,” Blinky replied, trying to look very unconcerned.

“A queer looking nose,” said Mrs Spotty rudely. “But never mind, I’ll call the class for the swimming lessons.”

She gave three loud croaks, and at once dozens and dozens of frogs popped up from beneath the water and out from the rushes. They eyed Blinky nervously, until Mrs Spotty told them he did not eat frogs.

“Now, you young gentlemen with the slender legs, take your places ready for the diving.

“Don’t push and crowd, it’s very rude and if I find any frog standing on another’s tail or causing an unprepared-for jump, I’ll punish him severely.”

The frogs arranged themselves on the leaves and waited for the word to start, A great commotion was taking place up in the shallow end of the pool, and Mrs Spotty looked sternly in that direction,

“Tadpoles!” she cried, “stop that mud-larking and pay attention to your lesson.”

“Now! One, two, three — Dive!” she called at the top of her voice, and dozens of green slippery legs flew through the air and into the pool.

“Too much splashing!” Mrs Spotty declared. “Again: one, two, three — Dive!” And once more the green legs and bodies sprang into the pool.

“That’s better. Now for a swim.” And leaning over the leaf she called her directions to the frogs.

“Scissors! Scissors! Scissors!” she cried as they swam round her leaf, and back again to the starting-point.

“Now for the Tads.” And Mrs Spotty lined them up in a row, the fattest ones to the front and the tiny ones at the back.

They behaved like young outlaws — pushing and wriggling and flipping about in a very bold way.

“Not so much of that tail waggling; and, Jimmy Tadpole, don’t use your tummy for pushing. Oh! dear, I’m sure I’ll never make ladies and gentlemen of you,” sighed Mrs Spotty. “You’re the most brazen lot of Tads I’ve ever had in my school.”

But the tadpoles didn’t care, all they thought about was swimming.

Mrs Spotty gave them their lesson and sent them back again to their own end of the pool, much to the relief of the frogs, as no self-respecting gentleman could swim in the same place as a tadpole.

Blinky by this time had come right to the edge of the pond, and was enjoying himself immensely, until an extra large frog suddenly leaped right on his back.

“Oh, oh, you gave me such a fright!” Blinky cried. “Get down please. I’m not a log!”

The frog took no notice whatever, but hopped on his head instead. Blinky touched him with his paw, and jumped with fright. He was so cold and slippery — not a scrap like touching Snubby.

“Get down at once!” called Mrs Spotty in a stern voice. And to Blinky’s further surprise the frog went helter skelter down his nose and into the water.

“Let’s use his nose for a spring-board,” the frog called out at the top of his voice.

The very thought of such a thing sent shudders down Blinky’s back. Just imagine hundreds of frogs sliding down his nose, one after the other!

“You’ll do no such thing!” retorted Blinky indignantly.

“Well let’s use his back for leap-frog,” another cried.

“I don’t mind that,” said Blinky, “as long as I have a turn too. I could jump over one of your backs.”

“That is a fair thing,” said Mrs Spotty. “Now get in places, please.”

One after the other the frogs lined up behind Blinky croaking and hopping about, treading on one another’s toes and goggling their eyes with excitement.

“Bend down, please,” Mrs Spotty called to Blinky. He bent over, making sure his nose was well out of the way.

“Flip — flop —” and the frogs started, one behind the other, jump after jump; and the highest hops were greeted with croaks from the onlookers.

“I wish you’d warm your toes first,” said Blinky. But still they came. Flip-flop-flip-flop.

When the last frog had jumped over his back, Blinky raised his head.

“It’s my turn now,” he cried. “And I want to jump over the biggest frog of all.”

Mrs Spotty’s pupils looked rather nervous and eyed one another to see which was the largest.

“Go on, Fatty,” they called to one big fellow. “You know, you had more mosquitoes for tea than anyone else.”

Fatty looked very uncomfortable and glanced at his tummy.

“It’s not mosquitoes,” he said crossly, “it’s muscles —”

“All the better,” called Mrs Spotty. “Stand over here and be ready.”

Fatty frog hopped beside Mrs Spotty and stood there quaking.