LLY BUNNY AND THE WOODCHUCK.

You remember in the last story that just as Billy Bunny hopped into
the hollow stump a voice said, "What are you doing in here?"

"I came in to get out of the wet," answered the little rabbit, and
then the voice replied:

"What! Is it raining? I'll lend you an umbrella!" and an old woodchuck
opened a little door in the side of the stump and winked at Billy
Bunny.

"That's very kind of you," said the little rabbit, and he opened his
knapsack and gave the woodchuck a nice lollypop, and after that the
woodchuck said: "I think you'd better stay here with me until the rain
is over. Don't you think so?"

And Billy Bunny said yes, for the woodchuck was very nice and had such
good manners that the little rabbit felt quite at home.

But oh, dear me! it began to rain so hard right then and there that
the water just poured into the old hollow stump, and pretty soon it
was very uncomfortable. So the woodchuck said:

"Now don't you ever tell anybody where I'm going to take you. For it's
my very own house, and I never let anybody know just where I do live.
You see, so many people are after me, some with guns and some with
sharp teeth and claws, that I have to be very careful."

So the little rabbit promised, and then he followed the woodchuck
through the little door and down a long passage until they came to a
nice, large, comfortable room.

"Now, this is where I live," said the woodchuck, and he went over to
the cupboard and took out a carrot candy gumdrop and gave it to Billy
Bunny, and then he lighted a big cigar and sat down in his old
armchair and smoked.

And all the time they could hear the rain pattering on the grass
overhead, for it's wonderful how you can hear all sorts of sounds when
you're under ground and have big ears like a rabbit, you know.

"Now, I'll tell you a story," said the old woodchuck after he had
blown some lovely round rings of smoke into the air.

"Once upon a time,
Not so very long ago,
A band of tiny fairies
Lived in the woodland near.
And often I would hear them
A-singing soft and low
When all was dark and quiet
And the moon shone bright and clear.
So one evening I stole softly
Out of the hollow stump,
And found them dancing merrily
With tiny skip and jump;
And just as I was going
To say how do you do,
The Fairy Queen began to scream.
And then away she flew.
And the