The Rainbow Book: Tales of Fun & Fancy

ind legs, motionless, as though waiting for somebody, and a smile was upon the face of that Hedgehog. All at

teresting. Oh, I do wish I could be all ears and understand them! If only I were something as small as a mole!" Befor

good-bye. It's silly to become a stupid mole; it's a waste of a catseye. And all on account of

re to be seen. "I hope she will soon come to her senses!

, and becoming concerned he carefully counted the missing catseyes. He had only wished to be a lark, and to be himself. Yet THREE were gone! The two first-and the last one! "Could this," he asked himself, "be some dreadful trick of the Wizard's-likely to occur at the last?" Cyril turned pa

be heard sounds of a quaint voice. It was that of the Porcupine sayin

e and dashi

legant, a

edgehog, br

t as sug

g fair, say

he dandy

g-bright as

s strong

Porcupin

so often-d

rky, sweet

itter

f I'l

ghtway ma

the Hedgehog had remained silent and had never move

lcie explained later, and she was not sorry when the danger of a horse's hoofs galloping nearly on top of them caused them to run off. They got separated, and Dulcie was glad to bring herself again into the possession of her own five senses. Peeping f

t the bracelet on her wrist; all was in order there. Could it possibly belo

rse and rid

d Dulcie as she ran after

nclusion that it was of no use waiting any longer, and that it would be bet

ve more chance of finding Dulcie, and of finding my catseye. It would be use

in the Wood. But without success. Neith

unt from her horse and pick up something. Cyril recognised it as his catseye. He approached timidly to claim it, when she leapt

s from helplessness and anxiety were coursing down her hot cheeks. For the trees hid the children from view at the dist

went quickly along it in the hope that it might prove to be a short cut to somewhere. As it turned out he was lucky, for it proved to be a short cut to a Town, and hardly had he entered one of the streets than at the o

a thing so valuable-and then perhaps only for a hundred pounds. He concluded he must take it-it was his-at least it was more his than hers, and his life might depend upon it. So he

and there than it was pounced upon by a dirty

e friend! You shall not escape fro

oat with brass buttons. A ludicrous doll's hat with a long feather upstanding was quickly produced from his pocket, put on its head, and the elastic slipped

y limbs after her useless chase, when the boy and monkey attracted her attention and she stopped. She would have laughed, s

re. No Jacko, then poor Pietro starve. Just you watch hi

the handle of the instrument, and to its cracked tune she was amused to see the monkey take off its hat with a jer

him. A sunny smile was on his swarthy face as he said "Grazia!" He kissed the monke

opeful to do, determined to rest there. Now, however, that she had leisure to think it over, she didn't at all like the loss of that gem. Supposing by some trick or other of that horrid Wizard all the rest should drop out and not be fou

waited, the more anxious she became. She gave up reciting poetry, or what stood for poetry, and her only thought became: "If only Cyril would come back!" In her fear she be

ang on the seat beside her, frightening her very much. There was a terrified shriek-a gratified Wish-and

nk away with its tail between its legs, and the brother and sister fell into one another's arms. Never

didn't add anything about thoughts of a

you've lost y

ed and

you go

s teeth. He pressed it back into the

er to chase our poor little Miranda again, you b

id you get

and the next moment he was pommelling in

st one was down and the other on top; then the pair, all legs and arms, were the other way up; then they rolled together over and over, till at last Cyril had won a brilliant victo

xious inquiry, shaking himself into order. "That was

e had a lump on his f

ow what it was about one little bit. And, Cyril, aren't t

're not, they'r

hey strolled off together. So Cyril gave her a spirited record of his ad

ng," he said. "Well, the f

nd Dulcie gaspe

mp. It wouldn't have been much use trying to escape. Besides, the monkey idea was all wrong, for people were passing all the time, and, had they noticed a free monkey on the track of a catseye, a crowd would have collected, and perhaps that grinning idiot might have gone for me again. I couldn't very well change to myself inside of his jacket, nor during a performance in public, as it might have attracted attention. So I was oblige

ned then?" interrupt

he ground without any monkey inside of them! He said some foreign words and commenced runni

led with laugh

use where I had seen the girl with the red h

it up, too," b

ny on to a stone ledge, and then by good luck right into the bedroom of tha

looked anxiously around for my catseye in the intervals-when she wasn't kissing my nose, which was disturbing and uncomfortable, and girls do like kissing so. Then I saw it gleamin

" exclaimed Du

say! had I changed then, wouldn't she have been jolly surprised to find a strange boy in there! So, remaining her darling pussikins," he continued with a smile, "I just jumped on the table, took hold of my catse

as a great barking, and a whole lot of dogs seemed to be bearing down on me. I thought I'd make myself scarce, so I tore off, and as they were on my track I simply cut. I flew along the muddy streets with the whole pack at my heels, with shouts and laughter ringing in my ears, scampering past th

lcie, with a

of that big dog." Dulcie glowed with pride and pleasure at that. "I never knew, though, that

l a story, Cyril,

ontentedly. "T

you think it was the Wizard's t

for anything. But I don't think so," he added reassuringly

hat she could, and they had a good laugh over them;-before, she had been blind to the fun in them. "I repeated them to Molly," continued D

? That was what you wanted to fi

expecting the Po

ppo

got to

atures weren't worth while chumming up with, and they couldn't have m

ny more, then," repl

r them, but the reason was because all her family's skins had been taken off their backs in order to keep fashionable ladies from taking cold-as these ladies seemed to think that it was a prettier and warmer skin than the

ff like a mole or anything else, which-being only too

ly, "all seem so helpless. There's no on

yet changed into something really gr

lking, I didn't notice the way we've come," broke in his sister, gazing at what

it'll do beautifully," repl

t," argued Dulcie reflectively, her thought

decided toss of his head. "If," he said, and hesitated-"if we were lions" (he waited, then finding they were both as they were

one," protested Dulcie. "I think

like it. Besides, one never knows till one trie

tore away as fast as her small feet could scamper. Then she chan

creatures hurried out of their path, and the very landscape appeared insignificant

slaked their thirst, lapping up the water greedily. Then they turned

around his limbs and body. He gave forth a roar half of anger, half of fear. Struggle as he would he could not free himself; it was a huge boa-constrictor that was closing about

ptile, which had jerked back its head in astonishment at the remarkable disappearance of its quarry, with an undulating movement of surprise in that part of its anatomy which might be termed its neck. But now the creature was quite close to the lad and rearin

was eagerly peering through the branches of another tre

e had stopped short in his sentence, not seeming quite to realise what he was. "By Jove!" he now added,

I've seen a dead serpent before. Where have they moved to? that's the question: we shall hav

with you there-it's quite the contrary, of course," r

ite, scared faces, were fleeing hand