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is,” said Podge, turning around. “Had to put up m’quills to keep him off. By the way, you chaps, I’m lookin’ for a…why, there it is!” he exclaimed as he caught sight of the tangle of wool.
    â€œThis wool yours is?” asked Digger.
    â€œWell, no, not mine exactly. More Mrs. Podge’s really,” replied Podge. To Mouse’s astonishment the porcupine had a monocle screwed into his left eye and a gaily colored scarf tied neatly around his neck. The ferocious quills were now almost hidden by black fur. Podge continued. “I was helpin’ her, d’you see? I was lying back readin’ a jolly good article about an experiment some rats had performed on humans. Most interestin’, really. Apparently they got the humans to construct a maze and then they…” He looked up at Alkus with a puzzled air. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “What’re we talkin’ about?”
    â€œHow you helped…
    â€¦Mrs. Podge by…
    â€¦reading an…
    â€¦interesting…
    â€¦article,” squeaked Snick and Snock.
    â€œOh, yes, of course,” said Podge. “I was reading an…What was I reading, now?”
    â€œNever mind. Just get on with it,” snapped Chuck. The porcupine shook his head as though to straighten some parts inside and continued.
    â€œRight. Well, anyway, Mrs. Podge was makin’ use of m’hind legs to hold a coil of wool. I wasn’t usin’ em at the time, d’you see? When all of a sudden this roarin’ gale gets up. Don’t know where it came from. Haven’t seen one like it since…since… oh, never mind, doesn’t matter. Off goes Mrs. Podge’s wool in the wind, d’you see? And off I goes along with it. Wasn’t prepared, d’you see? Don’t know how Mrs. Podge stayed put. Jabbed her knitting needles into the ground, I expect. Very resourceful, Mrs. Podge.” He shook himself and all his quill-tips moved in unison, like long grass in the wind.
    â€œAnyway,” he went on, “I managed to grab hold of a tree root and that stopped me flyin’ about. Got a lot o’ stuff stuck to me, though. Oh, yes, there are times when I think I’d be better off without m’quills. A porcupine learns early in life never to stand with his back to a strong wind. Ends up lookin’ like a coughdrop that’s been sucked and dropped in the dust.”
    Mouse was standing there open-mouthed, listening as the porcupine rambled on, knowing he was responsible for the poor animal’s plight. “I’m really very sorry,” he said when the porcupine stopped talking.
    The animal now looked at Mouse and suddenly, quills aquiver, he sprang away, monocle flying from his eye. “By my pins and points!” he bellowed. “’Pon my peepers, it’s a person. A boy-person by the look of it. Alkus, did you know about this?”
    â€œOh, yes,” said Alkus. “We brought him down here.”
    â€œYou did, did you? Jolly good,” said the porcupine, walking around Mouse, his monocle dangling by its string. “By gollopers, he’s a big ’un. Put up much of a struggle, did he?”
    â€œNot at…
    â€¦all,” squeaked the deer mice, sensing there was fun to be had.
    â€œIn on the capture, were you?” growled the porcupine, swinging his monocle by its cord. “Good fellows. Stout chaps! Never seen one this close-up. Fine specimen. Fine specimen.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, specimen?” said Mouse, not at all liking being spoken of as though he were an exhibit. “I’m not a specimen.”
    â€œOh, fiery one, isn’t he?” said Podge, stepping back further and looking up into Mouse’s face. “Hmmn! Must be a good view from up there.” His eyes glazed over and he went on absentmindedly, “Went up a skinny old pine tree once. Quite a view. Dashed embarrassin’,