Naughty Miss Bunny | Page 4

of her own, by which she insisted on calling them,
although their own well-known names were printed under them, for
they were all horses that had won a great number of races during their
lives, and so had become celebrated.
The round table in the middle of the room was laid ready for dinner,
and looked very inviting with its prettily arranged flowers, handsome
silver, and shining glass.
"Dear me, how nice it all looks!" said Bunny, as she marched round the
table on tip-toe. "One, two, three, four places. Why, it must be for
company. Well, I hope there will be somebody nice to talk to me. I
must get Sophie to put on my pretty new frock. But oh, dear, what fun
it would be just to put a tiny, little drop of water into every glass!
Wouldn't old Ashton wonder--just when he thinks everything is nice for
dinner? I will! I'll do it! It will be such fun! Oh, I'd like to see his face;
won't he be horribly angry?"
Throwing her flowers on the floor, Bunny sprang to the side-board, and
seizing a water-jug she climbed up on each chair in turn and poured a
few drops of water into every glass all round the dinner-table.
Just as she came to the last wine-glass and held the jug ready to let the
water fall into it, the door opened suddenly and the solemn-looking old
butler entered the room.
"Miss Bunny!" he exclaimed, and he looked so stern and angry that the
little girl felt frightened, and dropping the jug, scrambled off the chair,
seized her flowers, and ran out of his sight as fast as she could.
"I only did it for fun, Ashton," she called back from the door. "It is
clean water, so it won't do any harm."

"Harm, indeed!" grumbled Ashton; "just as I thought I had everything
done until dinner time. Now I must begin and rub up all this glass
again;" and he began at once to remove the glasses from the table.
"Little himp that she is, that Miss Bunny! A perfect himp, and if I had
the governessing of her for sometime I'd--I'd--bah! there's that bell
again! Some folks is in a mighty hurry," and full of anger and
indignation against the little girl whom he could not punish for her
naughty trick, Ashton hurried to the hall door, longing for something
upon which he could vent his wrath.
Bunny was skipping merrily in the hall, and the pretty roses that she
had gathered with so much pleasure lay scattered on the ground. This
sight did not tend to put the butler in a better temper, but he made no
remark, and passing by the little girl without a word he opened the hall
door with a jerk. A poor boy with a thin pinched face stood upon the
step.
"If you please, sir, will you give me a bit of bread, for I am very
hungry?" he said in an imploring voice, as he gazed up into the butler's
face.
"There's nothing for you. How dare you come here with your wretched
lies?" cried Ashton fiercely, and he shut the door with a bang.
"That's not true, Ashton," cried Bunny darting forward and opening the
door again. "Wait, little boy, and I will get you something!" and before
the astonished butler knew where he was, she had rushed into the
dining-room, and came back carrying a large loaf and a pat of butter
that she had found upon the side-board.
"You must not give that away, Miss Bunny," cried the man; "that is in
my charge, and I cannot allow you to give it to a beggar;" and he tried
to drag the bread from her hands.
"You nasty man! I will give it to him if I like," she screamed. "My papa
always lets me do what I like, and you are only a servant--and I will
give it;" and she struggled to get away from him. "I only put the water
in your glasses for fun--but I'm very glad I did it--and I wish I had put

dirty water in--and I wish--let me go--I'll tell papa, and he'll be very
angry and--"
"Bunny," said a soft reproachful voice, "my dear child, what is the
matter?" and Miss Kerr laid her hand gently upon the little girl's
shoulder.
"That nasty Ashton won't let me give this loaf to a poor boy who is
there begging," cried Bunny; "he's very hungry and I want--"
"Ashton is quite right, Bunny," said Miss Kerr gently; "give him back
the loaf, dear. It is not yours, so you have no right to give it away. Have
you no money of your own to give the boy?"
"No, I have not," cried Bunny bursting