Naughty Miss Bunny | Page 8

a very long time yet. She felt ready to cry
at the thoughts of lying there for so long doing nothing, whilst the sun
was shining so brightly over the sea and dancing so merrily up and
down the nursery walls. Suddenly, however, a happy idea presented
itself to her mind, and she sprang out of her crib with a soft
well-pleased little laugh.
"It will be such fun," she whispered to herself, "and Sophie will get
such a start when she sees the crib empty! But I must go about very
gently or she might wake up and send me back to bed."
So the little girl slipped very quietly about the room, and struggled
bravely with buttons and tapes, as she did her best to dress herself
without the assistance of her maid.
"They're all upside down and tied in big knots," she said ruefully, "but
Sophie will just have to do them all over again when she gets up. Oh,
dear, where are my boots, I wonder? I can't see them anywhere about.
Well, I must go out in these, I suppose;" and sitting down on the floor
she put on a pair of dainty Queen Anne shoes, with satin bows and steel
stars, that she had worn the evening before when she went down to the
drawing-room to see her mama.
At this moment Sophie turned round with a loud snore, and Bunny
gave a start of alarm, as she looked quickly towards the bed. If Sophie
awoke and saw what she was doing, all her fun would surely be spoiled,

and she would be sent back to her crib in disgrace.
Very cautiously then she got up off the floor, seized her hat that lay on
the chest of drawers, and opening the door as softly as possible, flew
along the corridor and away down the stairs.
Not a servant was to be seen about, for it was not yet seven o'clock, and
so Bunny passed on without any interruption into the dining-room, and
stood on tip-toe at the side-board looking anxiously to see if there was
anything there for her to eat. But there was not even a crust to be seen.
"Nasty old Ashton!" she cried, "he might have left a few pieces of
bread for me; but he wouldn't, I'm sure, even if he had known I was
coming. I must get something for my dear pony, now that I am up, so
I'll go off to the larder and see what I can find there."
So away went Bunny in high glee at her clever thought; but when she
arrived at the larder door she found it locked, and she was about to turn
away sad and disappointed when a sudden jingling of keys was heard in
the passage, the kitchen door opened, and Mrs. Brown, the cook,
appeared upon the scene.
"Miss Bunny, dear, what brings you here at such an hour? And law but
you are dressed queer! But, indeed, them Frenchies are little good with
their new-fangled ways. It's nurse that used to dress you smart, deary,
and as for Sophie, she beats all;" and the good woman held up her
hands in dismay at the child's untidy appearance.
"Oh, Sophie didn't dress me at all!" cried Bunny. "She doesn't even
know I'm up, for she's fast asleep. But I was so tired lying there
listening to Sophie snoring that I thought I would get up and go out. I
want to take my pony a piece of bread, so please give me some for him
and some for myself, Mrs. Brown, for I'm very hungry."
"Bless your heart, of course I will," cried the good-natured woman, as
she unlocked the door, and cutting two large slices of bread and butter,
handed them to the little girl.

"Oh, thank you," said Bunny; "Frisk will like this, I am sure. Good
morning, Mrs. Brown, and mind you don't tell Sophie where I am, if
she comes to look for me."
"Don't be afraid, deary, I won't give her any news of you. I don't admire
her and her stuck-up French airs, so she won't get much out of me."
But Bunny did not wait to hear the end of the good woman's speech
against poor Sophie; she had got all she wanted, so away she ran to pay
her morning visit to her little pony.
When Frisk heard the stable door opening and a footstep approaching
his stall, he whisked his tail and twisted his head as well as he could, to
see who was coming to visit him at such an early hour. And when he
found it was his little mistress, and heard her voice at his ear he
neighed with delight, and rubbed his velvety nose up and