They walked a long way down the lane until they came to the crossroads.
“Which way shall we go?” said Pansy; “you may choose.”
“Let’s go different ways,” said Reddy. “I don’t expect we shall find two fortunes growing on one tree, so it will be better to go different ways.”
You see, Reddy and Pansy did not know at all what fortunes were. They had heard of people seeking their fortunes so they thought they were some special kind of flower or leaf to eat. Pansy was not frightened now so they agreed to part and Pansy went down the road to the right.
We won’t say any more about Reddy in this story, only I will tell you that she went a little way and then felt lonely so she turned back and got safely home.
But Pansy was braver and went on and on until she came to a wood.
“The very thing to find a fortune in,” she cried in delight, and went in. Perhaps you think a cow would get scratched by the brambles in a wood, because of course you know how one has to push one’s way through a wood sometimes, but the wood was not a very thick one and Pansy was able to walk through without any trouble. Suddenly she heard a voice right at her feet say “Take care now, take care! Mind where you are putting your great paws!” and looking down, saw a funny little brown person, with long ears, just beside her front hoofs.
“Who are you?” she asked rather timidly, because although this creature was so small it seemed very severe.