VII
The next morning as Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny was rather stiff and chilly, Mrs. Bunnikins insisted that he should lie in his hammock in the sunshine, and be very lazy.
While she was talking to him, she suddenly gave a terrified squeak, and started as fast as she could run towards the hollow tree, fairly tumbling up the little ladder, into the safety of the nest.
How Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny and Mr. Gray-Squirrel laughed, when they saw what had frightened her—just Mr. and Mrs. Brown Bruin and their three children, come to make a pleasant morning call. They had brought a big jar of golden honey (the delight of bears) as a present to Mr. Bunnikins, and a lot of ripe nuts and wild celery for the children.
They begged the Bunnies and the Squirrels to come and make them a visit very soon, Mr. Bruin offering to carry them to and fro on his broad back; he even persuaded Rosamund to take a little ride with her father then and there.