"
The troll creature looked at Graham and frowned. Then he began to laugh.
"Ha ha!" he said. "You take me for a complete and utter idiot! No, you
cannot be telling me the truth. My boys are under orders to let the
lovely little waif alone. They would not do such a cruel or vile thing
to anyone, I assure you."
"But I was there, sir," pleaded Graham. "I saw it all with my own two
eyes! They put Jeanne-Marie into a great big grain-bag and hid her on a
cart that they carried along behind them. The big fat one said he was
going to sell her to a zoo! I heard him say so! He said, 'Old Mickey-D
will never know what became of his little charity-case!'" As he quoted
the line, he did his best to imitate the wartfrog's voice. "Please, Mr.
Lindsay, you just have to believe me! I'm telling you the truth!"
"Now, now," answered the troll voice, which was sounding less patient
than before. "I know better. No one on my staff would ever do such a
thing ... And no one on my staff would ever ... Wait a minute. Did you
say 'Old Mickey-D?' My, my. Only Foreman Lambert ever called me by that
annoying name. And no one but he would have the audacity to...." His
heart pounded so loudly that Graham could hear it from across the room.
Then the troll-horse let out a couple of loud exclamations.
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