Then, according to his intention, the Rabbit beat the Sentry about the head until he could not see out of his eyes.
“It now only remains to deal with the Horse. I go to give him the due reward of his deeds,” the Rabbit remarked, taking up his drum and preparing to leave. But pausing a moment he added to the Owl: “With regard to you, my good friend, if ever an opportunity arises by which I can show you my gratitude for your kind services, rest assured that I shall eagerly avail myself of it.”
Now, the next morning the woman who keeps this shop spoke severely to her own little girl.
“You have been touching the toys and damaging them,” she said with anger. “See what mischief you have done! You have knocked off the head of this mouse—and, what is more, I can’t find it anywhere,—you have rubbed all the paint off this sentry’s face, and you have broken the glass eyes of this brown horse. You shall be punished.”
The little girl began to whimper.
“I have not hurt the toys,” she said. “I have never touched them since you put me to bed for breaking the baby doll.”
The woman looked puzzled: “If you say you haven’t, you haven’t, I suppose,” she said, “for I know you are a truthful child. Then how has it happened? I shouldn’t think any customer would do it without my noticing. I can’t understand it.”
Nor can she to this day. But we can: you, the Rabbit, the Owl, the Sentry, the Horse, and myself. But not the Mouse, for he has lost his head.
