"Dan, can I borrow your bat?" Katy asked her brother. "I can't find mine and I'm late for the game already."

"Sure," Danny called back, "but don't lose this one. It's great."

Katy ran into Danny's room, snatched the bat which was leaning against the wall, and rushed out. Danny watched, horrified, as Katy's arm brushed by the bottle of India ink on the desk. He tried to grab it, but it seemed as if his arm stretched out in slow motion. The bottle fell on its side, the ink spilling in a black stream, down the front of the desk, forming a pool on the wooden floor. "D-d-dudgeon!" Dan stuttered at Katy through the door, which she had left open. But Katy was gone.

Danny's mother came into the room carrying his clean laundry. "Danny!" she scolded. "Look at the mess you've made. Better clean that up before it dries."

"I didn't do it," Danny said, still annoyed at Katy's carelessness.

"How can you say that?" his mother exclaimed, "You're the only one here, and the ink is fresh."

"I didn't do it, and I won't clean it up!" Danny cried. He jumped up and ran out, banging the back door behind him. He climbed up into the treehouse and sat there. He felt terrible.

After a long while Danny heard his mother calling, "Lunch on the terrace everybody!" He looked down. His mother was setting the table with his favorite foods. Greg and Katy and Cory were sitting down, ready for lunch. "Danny!" his mother called.

Danny didn't answer. "He's in the treehouse," Cory said. "He always goes there when he's mad."

His mother looked up. "Aren't you joining us for lunch?" she called.

"I'm never coming down!" Danny announced.

"That's a tall tree," his mother said. "I'm not sure you can come down. You may fall and hurt yourself. Shall I come and help you?"

Danny knew his mother was aware that he could come down by himself. "You can't tell me not to hurt myself," he said. He was feeling mean. "You hurt yourself all the time. You smoke, and when I hide your cigarettes you buy more."

"Well," his mother said, and she looked sad. "I guess we'll have to eat without you."

When lunch was over, the other children helped their mother carry the dishes back into the house. Katy was carrying the big pitcher, still half full of lemonade. Just then Benjy came running, almost under her feet.

"Wait!" Danny cried. "I'll take that. You've spilled enough things for one day." He slid down the tree trunk and took the pitcher from her.

"Then it was Katy who spilled the ink? His mother asked. "Oh, Danny, I'm sorry. She took out a rag and gave it to Katy. "I guess you should clean it up since you spilled it," she said.

That made Danny feel much better. "It's all right," he said. "I'll clean it up. It's my room."