“Oh, no, never. What! a bear?” cried Flop Ear. “I’d be afraid!”

“Oh, you needn’t be afraid of him. He is a good, kind, dancing bear,” said the cat. “He lives in a cage in the circus, and when some bad boys chased me I ran under the circus tent and hid in the straw in Dido’s cage.”

“He must be a nice bear,” Flop Ear said.

“He is,” replied the black cat. “You’ll like him if you ever meet him.”

“I hope I shall meet him,” Flop Ear said.

The rabbit and the cat talked together a little longer.

“Where are you going?” finally asked Blackie.

“To get something to eat,” Flop Ear answered. “First I will go to the cabbage field, and then I may find some carrots. Did you ever eat carrots?”

“Never!” answered Blackie.

“What do you eat?” Flop Ear inquired.