see what we can do about that," the Good Wolf said, justas if anything nice in the world might happen if you once came to aSnow Feast.
At the moment he said that, they turned another corner and therethey were in a very much bigger passage, which ended in an archwaytoward which all the little animals were making their way. Thisarchway was the entrance to a great Hall which was so big that youcould not see the end of it. It was lighted by myriads and myriadsof glow-worm lamps, and beautifully decorated with sea shells andflowers made of snow and icicle jewels, and there was music beingplayed somewhere, and in one part there were tables loaded withevery kind of delightful thing to feast on. It was the mostbeautiful place that Barty had ever beheld, and he really could nothelp jumping a little for joy when he got inside. A little lion whohad just trotted in saw him and laughed.
"I feel like that too!" he said, and he gave two or three funnylittle jumps himself.
"I didn't know you could talk," said Barty.
"We can all talk at the Snow Feast," said the little lion. "That'sthe fun of it."
"May I pat you?" Barty asked.
"Yes," the little lion answered. "May I pat you?"
That made Barty laugh.
"You may if you like," he said, "but I did not know animals wantedto pat people."
"They don't," said the little lion, making a merry little skip. "Ijust said that for fun." And then Barty and he laughed likeanything.
They were intimate friends from that minute, and the Good Wolf, whohad to go to speak to some one on business, left them together.Then, I can tell you, fun began. The little lion brought anotherlittle lion to Barty, and then he brought two fat little roly-polybears who were twin brothers; and then he brought a tiny elephant,and a baby hippopotamus, and three beautiful kitten leopards, andthe most lovely little snow-white horse with a long mane and a tailalmost sweeping the ground.
Barty could scarcely believe his eyes. When the little elephanttossed up his trunk and trumpeted for him he almost shouted.
"It seems as if you couldn't be real," he said.
"We are real," said the small elephant. "But we are only like thisonce a year and no other boy has ever seen us."
And suddenly, just as he spoke, they heard a tramping and trampingand the sound of music grew louder and louder as if it were comingnearer, and the little elephant threw up his trunk and trumpetedvery loud as if he were saluting royalty.
"What is it? What is it?" cried Barty. "Who's coming? Who'scoming?"
He said it to the Good Wolf, who at that minute came running backin a great hurry, pushing his way through the crowd.
"Get into line!" he said. "Get into line! They are entering thehall--their Royal Highnesses, the Noah's Ark Rabbits!"
CHAPTER THREE
BARTY'S eyes grew round and big with excitement. A wonderfulprocession was entering the hall. First came a band of tiny jetblack monkeys playing on golden trumpet's--the Drum Major walkingbackward before them and twirling his staff; then came two blackand two white rabbits, and they were carrying a throne on which sattwo old, old, old, white rabbits. They were so old that their hairhad grown long enough to hang down below their feet, and their eyeswere large and strange and had an ancient, solemn look in them, asif they had been gazing at the rabbit world for thousands of years.Barty thought their large, strange eyes looked nice, and he said soto the Good Wolf.
"They look kind," he whispered.
"They were the two rabbits who went into the Ark with Noah," theGood Wolf whispered back. "And they have lived so long and grown sowise that they have found out that the best thing in the world isto be kind. They never find fault with any one. They know toomuch."
"But I thought they died long ago," said Barty.
"Everybody thought so," answered his friend. "But they didn't. Theyare the great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather andgrandmother of all the rabbits in the world."
"How int'resting," said Barty, jumping up and down a little. "How'normously interesting!"
The procession behind them was made up of their courtiers, and theywere all either black or white rabbits--a black one and a whiteone--a black one and a white one. They all wore gold collars andgold stars on their breasts. These were the Order of the AncientRabbit.
The black monkey musicians took their places on a little bandstand, and as soon as the bearers of the throne set it down at theend of the hall, a grand blast of golden trumpets was heard, andevery one of the animals made a profound bow.
Then the gentleman Noah's Ark Rabbit waved his long-haired frontfoot gracefully.
"Greeting, brothers and sisters," he said. "Welcome to the SnowFeast. What is first to be done?"
The Good Wolf whispered to a very grand Court Rabbit who wasstanding near. He carried a wand and was black all over, except fora white place on his breast, which made him look as if he were inevening dress, and gave him a very fashionable air. The CourtRabbit waved his wand.
"Your Majesty, I have a new guest to present to you," he said, andhe made a sign to Barty.
"Walk forward and make a bow," the Good Wolf said. "You are goingto be introduced."
Barty did as he was told, and made a very nice bow indeed. HisMajesty, the Noah's Ark Rabbit, pointed to him with a benevolent,puzzled look.
"What kind of little animal is that?" he inquired. "I seem toremember seeing some like him when I was in the Ark, but I cannotremember what they were called."
The Good Wolf answered him.
"He is a boy, your Majesty," he said. "There are a good many ofthem on the top." (He meant on the top of the earth, outside rabbitburrows.)
"Turn round, Boy," said the Noah's Ark Rabbit, "and let me look atyou." And when Barty very politely turned round and round, hisMajesty scratched himself behind his long ear and repeated,"Boy-Boy-Boy?" as if he were trying to remember something, and at lasthe turned to his wife and said, "My dear, do you remember anythingabout a Boy?"
The Queen Noah's Ark Rabbit had an ivory cane which she leaned onwhen she walked, and she lifted it and began to poke Barty gentlyall over, as if she were trying to find out what he was made of.She was a kind looking old thing, and suddenly she began to smile.
"Of course I remember," she said, "and so will you if you think amoment. Who saved us from the Flood by taking us into the Ark? Hewould take us. And he cried like anything when his grandfatherchose another pair. Who was it?"
His Majesty slapped his knee and rocked with laughter.
"It was a Boy!" he said. "It was a Boy as sure as I am a Noah's ArkRabbit.
"It was a little Boy of Shem's, and he had made pets of us," saidher Majesty. "He kept us in a hutch, and when the animals werepicked out in pairs he huddled us in his arms and ran to hisgrandfather, and said, "Grandfather, you must take these--you must.If they are left behind I shall stay with them and let the Flooddrown me! And though his grandfather had picked out a much biggerpair, he was obliged to take us or let the Boy be drowned."
His Majesty slapped his knee again. "And that is why we are hereto-day!" he exclaimed. "How did we forget about Boys!"
"It was because the Flood frightened us so much, that as soon as wewere let out of the Ark we ran away as fast as we could, andburrowed deep into the earth, and we never have been on top since,so we never have seen any until this minute. Dear! Dear! Dear!"said her Majesty. "Deary, deary me!"
Barty quite blushed with pleasure. They were such nice, old,long-haired, aged, aged benevolent things.
"I am very glad that I am a boy," he said, "if it was a boy whosaved you."
"He is the nicest little animal I ever saw," said his Majestyenthusiastically. "I am perfectly delighted to see him. He must beled to the feasting table and given everything he likes to eat. Hemust enjoy himself. He must stuff his pockets full of good thingsto carry home. What can I give you for a Christmas present, Boy? Isthere anything in all the wide world I can do for you? Goodnessgracious, mercy me! You are the preserver of all our race. You area Boy!"
He was so delighted that he spok
e as fast as lightning, and hiswords tumbled one over the other; seeing which, the Good Wolf spokeagain.
"Your Majesty, he is not only a boy," he said, "but he is ablessing and a privilege, which all boys are not."
"Then he ought to have a Christmas present. He ought to have ahundred thousand million Christmas presents," said the Noah's ArkRabbit, looking round, and growing so excited that all his long,white fur fluffed up and stood out all over him. "Are there anyabout here--are there any about? Goodness gracious, mercy me! Thereought to be Christmas presents on every side."
Her dear old Majesty, his wife, began to look about her too, wavingher fore-paws in her inexpressible agitation. (Inexpressibleagitation means that she was so excited that she did not know whatto say.) "I don't see any! I don't see any! I don't see any!" sheexclaimed. "Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!"
"Never since I came out of the Ark," said his Majesty, "have Iknown such a dreadful situation. A Boy--a Boy like this, and nopresents! The place ought to be strewn with them--it ought to bepiled up with them--it ought to be stuffed--and crammed and bulgingwith them!"
(I wish you knew how Tim used to chuckle when this part was told.)
Then the Good Wolf spoke aloud with a most agreeable smile, andunless you have seen a Good Wolf you can never know how agreeablehis smile can be.
"I know what he would like, your Majesty," he said.
"Do you! Do you?" said the Noah's Ark Rabbit, his fur fluffing upand standing out still more because he was so interested. "Thenspeak up--speak up--speak up! Don't hang back, for goodness mercy'ssake!"
"What he would like most of all would be that your Majesty shouldallow some of your subjects to be his friends and play with him,"answered the Good Wolf.
"Would he--would he really?" said the Noah's Ark Rabbit. "Why, thatseems a trifle."
"Oh!" cried Barty, "if they only might, if they only would. Ishould never want any toys again as long as I lived!" and heclasped his hands.
"Well, I can do that for you in the shake of a rabbit's tail," saidhis Majesty. "How many would you like?"
"Enough," answered Barty, rather timidly, because he was so afraidhe might be asking too much, "enough to play circus, so that Icould be the ring-master. I've so often wanted to be a ring-master,and once I dreamed I was one."
The Noah's Ark Rabbit put his hand into a pocket under his longwhite fur, and he drew out a tiny whip.
"Take that and crack it as loud as ever you can, and see what willhappen," he commanded.
Barty took it and swung it as he had seen ring-masters do, and hemade it crack beautifully. What happened was that all the littleanimals, every one of them, turned their heads to look at him.
"Crack it again," said the Noah's Ark Rabbit.
When Barty cracked it again the little animals began to crowd intoa circle all round him.
"Now, my dear," said the Queen Noah's Ark Rabbit, "you just walkout and choose the ones you would like best, and ask them if theywill come and play with you when they hear your whip crack."
"I think I must be in a dream now," said Barty, as he began to goround the circle.
"Will you be my friend and come and play with me?" he said to thelittle lion, and the little lion frisked and said: "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
And then he went to some little horses and to some more littlelions, and to four elephants and a rhinoceros and a hippopotamus,and a little tiger and two tiny polar bears, and they all criedout: "Yes! Yes!" until at last he had enough animals to make a mostsplendid circus. There was so much shouting of "Yes! Yes! Yes!"that he began to rub his eyes.
"Are you sure I am not dreaming?" he asked the Good Wolf.
"Take him to the feasting tables," said the Noah's Ark Rabbit, "andfill him to the brim. He will know then that he is not dreaming."
Barty's eyes sparkled, because by this time he was very hungry, andwhen the Good Wolf led him into another illuminated hall where allthe nice things to eat that are in the world seemed spread beforehim on tables, you can imagine what he did. He ate just as much asa little boy could eat after getting up early on a frosty morningand forgetting all about his breakfast. But at last a sweet smilespread over his rosy face, and he drew a long, long breath andsaid:
"My belt is very tight by now. Thank you ever so much, Good Wolf. Inever saw anything as beautiful as the Snow Feast is, and I shouldlike to stay until it is quite over; but if I do not go home mymother will be frightened. Do you think there is time for me toplay a little with my circus before I go?"
"Yes, there is," the Good Wolf answered. "I'll look after the time.Come along. I see four little elephants and three lions lookingover here this minute, as if they wanted to talk to you."
All the games Barty played and all the things he did that day, itwould take chapters and chapters to tell about. When the Good Wolftold him it was time to go, he was being ring-master, and he waslaughing and shouting with glee. And all the little animals werecrowding round watching the elephants stand on their heads, and thehorses read things written on black boards. The Noah's Ark Rabbitsthemselves were perfectly delighted, and said they had neverenjoyed a Snow Feast as much before.
"You must come next year," they said, "and the next, and the next,and the next, and the next--" They were even going on murmuring"the next and the next," when Barty went away.
"Now," said the Good Wolf, "trot along--trot along--trot along."
And they did trot along, down corridors and round corners, andthrough galleries, and in and out, and faster and faster, until atlast they came to the hole they had crept in through; and theycrept out through it, and found themselves once more standing inthe sparkling snow with the circle of tall trees round them.
Barty clapped his hands.
"I never had such a splendid time in my life," he said. "I neverhad such beautiful things to eat. I never even dreamed of anythingas nice as the Snow Feast."
"Neither did I," answered the Good Wolf. "I have nothing like iteven in the pink ear or the blue one. Now we must shake ourselves."
So they shook themselves--once they shook themselves--twice theyshook themselves--three times and there they stood just the rightsize again. And the Good Wolf slipped into his harness, and Bartyjumped on the red sled, and the bells jingled and jingled; and offthey went, gliding over the sparkling snow, home through the deepforest where things built nests, and things burrowed under theearth, and made long passages and little warm caves to hide in; andwhere there were wonderful Snow Feasts, which only one little boyin all the world had seen or heard of, and his name was Barty.
CHAPTER FOUR
WHEN the Good Wolf had drawn the red sled with Barty on it nearlyto the edge of the deep forest, he stopped. "Now," he said, "youmust get off and unharness me."
Then Barty suddenly thought of something. "What shall I say when mymother asks me where I got my new sled?"
"Well," answered the Good Wolf, "I think I shall have to be a kindof secret. Mothers are very easily frightened and I wouldn'tfrighten a mother for anything. You might tell her it is a presentfrom an intimate friend, and if she asks what his name is you cansay it is Mr. Wolf. Have you got your whip safe?"
Barty took it out of his pocket. Now that he was his real sizeagain it looked very tiny.
"I would advise you to go into a quiet place in the forest when youcrack that whip," said the Good Wolf. "If any one came when youwere playing circus your little animals would suddenly grow bigagain and that would be very inconvenient."
"There is a very quiet place I know of," answered Barty. "It is mysecret playing place. You have to creep through bushes to get toit. It is round and has grass on it. It will make a beautifulcircus. But when will you come back and see me?"
"I don't know yet, but I will come some time," answered the GoodWolf. "I am glad I happened to be at the edge of the forest thismorning. There is some pleasure in taking a boy like you, who is ablessing and a privilege, to a Snow Feast. Now I must go."
Once he shook himself, twice he shook himself, three times he shoo
khimself, and he was a wolf again.
"Good-bye," he said, "until we meet again." And off he trotted.
Barty went back to his house dragging his red sled after him andthinking about things, until his cheeks were as red as his coat.
His mother was very busy making bread, but when she saw him she wasso surprised that she stopped kneading her dough.
"Where did you get that splendid sled?" she asked.
"Some one in the forest gave it to me," answered Barty. "He said hewas my intimate friend and his name was Mr. Wolf. I think," andBarty hesitated a little as he remembered, "I do think he was akind of a fairy."
His mother laughed. "I should think he was too, if he gave me sucha nice present as that," she said, and she went on with herkneading.
Barty played with his sled all the rest of the day, and at night heput it in a very safe corner in the woodshed. Before he went tosleep he hid the tiny whip under his pillow.
"But I do feel, now that I can't see either of them," he whisperedto himself as he lay in the dark, "I do feel as if it must havebeen a dream. Was it?" And he