“Let’s go into the kitchen, then,” said Royal. “Aunt, may we go into the kitchen?”
“Yes, if Dorothy is willing. You must not play unless Dorothy is willing.”
They all went out into the kitchen to ask Dorothy; and she said they might make any reasonable noise; but that, as soon as the noise became too great, she should stop the game.
“Well,” said Royal, “you may. And now,” he continued, “we’ll play elephant. I’ll be the elephant. Rollo, where’s your little chain? Go and get your little chain, to chain round my fore leg.”
Rollo went and got his chain. It was a small iron chain, such as is used to support stove-pipes, and it had a hook in one end. It was a favorite plaything of Rollo’s, for he could use it in a great many ways.
Rollo brought the chain, and then Royal got down upon all fours, and pretended that he was an elephant. Lucy was the hunter, and Rollo the dog. There was considerable barking, and other noise, while they were hunting the elephant; but when, at last, they got him caught and chained, they were more still.
Rollo then turned into a man, in order that he might be the elephant’s keeper. He put the chain around Royal’s shoulder, and led him about. Royal walked upon his hands and knees, with a very deliberate motion, as much as possible like that of a real elephant. Sometimes Rollo would order his elephant to kneel, and then Royal would fold his arms before him, and lie down close to the floor, so that Rollo could easily get upon his back. Rollo would mount, and then call upon his elephant to get up again; and so he would take a short ride about the room. Lucy had one ride herself.
Royal at last began to pretend that he was in a frenzy. He said that he had read in books of elephants’ getting into a frenzy, and frightening their keepers terribly. So he scrambled around the floor, shaking his head about in a very ferocious manner, while Rollo and Lucy ran off, trying to get out of his way, and making the kitchen ring with their peals of laughter.
Dorothy, who was knitting all this time at the side of the fire, at length interrupted their play by saying,—
“Come, come, children! I think that’s getting to be unreasonable noise.”