Mr. Puffett's purloined peaches (Crayons' Grade 5)

As a "read aloud special" for Friday, we had the story "Talboys" by Dorothy L. Sayers, which describes the domestic life of Lord Peter Wimsey by the time that his oldest son is old enough to get into a bit of mischief of his own.  What IS he hiding in the furnace room? 

"I wonder what the devil you've been up to. We've had newts and frogs and sticklebacks, and tadpoles are out of season. I hope it isn't adders, Bredon, or you'll swell up and turn purple. I can stand for most livestock, but not adders." " 'Tisn't adders," replied his son, with dawning hope. "Only very nearly. An' I don't know what it lives on..."

Sayers takes a good poke at armchair child psychologists and meddling houseguests (Miss Quirk is a kindred spirit to Aunt Mary Maria in Anne of Ingleside), and there aren't even any corpses in this one, so it's quite suitable for family reading.