After waiting breathlessly for some moments, Tibbs climbed up to a snowflake top to see what had happened.
“Look! Look!” he cried, and the other two scrambled up after him.
A few yards away sat the mighty bear, solemnly staring at a large brown hair-ribbon.
“Why, it’s mine!” exclaimed Coppertop, feeling one of her plaits and finding the ribbon gone; “but how tremendous it’s grown!”
“He’s never seen one before,” whispered Tibbs. “Look, I believe he is going to eat it.”
“’Es. P’r’aps that will do instead of us!” said Kiddiwee.
And so it did, for no sooner had the bear swallowed the hair-ribbon—which he seemed to enjoy—than he smiled broadly, and, lifting up one paw, he waved it at the children in the friendliest way.
“He really does look very nice and soft and kind,” whispered Coppertop to Tibbs, “he reminds me, somehow, of my big bed. I wonder if we ought to speak to him.”
“Yes, let’s,” agreed Tibbs. “I haven’t spoken to many bears—it’ll be rather a rag!”
After a little hesitation, the three adventurers walked boldly up to the Polar Bear.