ontentedly, tunes that were no tunes, and words that he made
up as he went along.

But time went on, and still his mother did not come. Bonny grew hungry,
and crept down to ask papa about it. Papa was lying quiet and breathing
heavily. Bonny had fairly sung his father to sleep.

It occurred to Bonny, as he tiptoed back, that there could be no good
reason why he should not go and find his mother, or else Jeanie, or
Nickie, or Ted. Jeanie's old red cape hung in the corner; quickly he
threw it over his yellow head, and holding it fast under his chin with
one hand, he lifted the latch and stepped forth.

He walked slowly and thoughtfully off in the direction he had seen his
mother take, with short, nipping steps, like a meditative chickabiddy's.
He had not a doubt that he should come to some member of his numerous
family before long, but meanwhile he was thinking less of that than of
the sights by the way. Two boys were racing velocipedes. To Bonny that
was a splendid sight.

"I wist I had a velehorsipede," he whispered, with a pensive air.

On and on he plodded, blissfully bewildered, absorbed in these
enchanting visions, until he found himself before a caterer's show
window, tempting with crisp loaves of bread, daintily frosted cakes, and
unspeakable cookies, tarts, jellies.

"Oh my! oh my!" cried Bonny, beginning at last to remember that he was
nobody but a little hungry boy, "I'm hungry--I'm so hungry!"

While he stared with all his longing eyes, he heard these words spoken
loudly right by his side, "Come on, then; we shall be sure of a good
dinner."

Bonny turned round. Two men in tall black hats were striding by, and
one, as he spoke, clapped the other on the shoulder. The invitation was
not meant for Bonny at all. But that did not make any difference to him.
He simply received the idea that if he followed these two men he should
get to a dinner. So he pressed sturdily after them. He had to walk fast,
and sometimes he almost lost sight of them in the throng. But Bonny was
so hungry by this time that he was very much in earnest. He did not stop
to watch the people, nor to look into any more shop windows.

It was really not long before the two tall hats were seen turning up
some low, broad steps. The panting Bonny, tugging after, followed
unnoticed through a wide door into a vast hall, all paved with marble.
Quite confused and out of breath, Bonny suddenly stood still. Where he
had lost sight of the two tall h