Naturally, she wouldn’t have talked like that if she had ever seen much of the world. But she had spent her whole life down in the dirt, beneath Farmer Green’s garden.
XV
TOMMY TREE CRICKET
After meeting that odd Mr. Mole Cricket, who claimed to be his cousin, Chirpy Cricket tried to find out more about him from his nearer relations. But there wasn’t one that had ever seen or heard of such a person. One night Chirpy even travelled quite a distance to call on Tommy Tree Cricket, with the hope that perhaps Tommy might be able to tell him something.
Chirpy found Tommy Tree Cricket in the tangle of raspberry bushes beyond the garden. It was not hard to tell where he was, because he was a famous fiddler. He played a tune that was different from Chirpy’s cr-r-r-i! cr-r-r-i! cr-r-r-i! Tommy Tree Cricket fiddled re-teat! re-teat! re-teat! And many considered him a much finer musician than Chirpy himself. He was small and pale. Beside Chirpy Cricket, who was all but black, Tommy Tree Cricket looked decidedly delicate. But he could fiddle all night without getting tired.
“I’ve come all the way from the yard to have a chat with you!” Chirpy called to his cousin Tommy.
“Come up and have a seat!” said Tommy Tree Cricket.
“I can find one here, thank you!” Chirpy answered.