At the same moment there was the sound of the bagpipes, and once more Antony looked out.
But he drew back quickly. For here, at his very door, was a huge bear on his hind-legs, wearing no muzzle, though he had fangs like fixed bayonets. He wore an artilleryman's pork-pie cap very much on one side, and had a very droll, half-drunken leer on his huge face.
Skeleton stood by with the pipes.
'Gee hup!' he cried, and played.
Then that huge brown bear began to dance, and evidently did so for fun and love. No torture had been applied to him, it appeared afterwards, to make him caper.
But as soon as the music—well, the bagpipes—ceased, Bruin faced round towards the back-door and opened a mouth wide enough to have taken in a Dutch cheese.
Antony threw all the rest of the sardines in, and all the biscuits; but as the red mouth was still open he went back to the cupboard and discovered a loaf of bread, and rammed that well home. Bruin gave a hoarse cough of satisfaction, and, lowering himself on all-fours, went shambling off.
. . . . . . .
The whole of the Queerest Show was surrounded by a rough kind of palisade just enough to
