The mirror answered,

"Two cunning little Bunnies, Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes!"

CHAPTER XII

Bunny and Susan sat quietly by the cheerful fire warming their paws.

Bunny said, "My fur and whiskers, I hope Snubby Nose got home safely."

Susan said, "Bless my b.u.t.tons, I was thinking of Tippy Toes this very minute. Those two cunning little Bunnies are as much alike as two peas!

We could not tell them apart if Snubby Nose did not cry so much."

Bunny said, "I suppose we shall have no visitors for some time now."

"Don't be too sure of that," said a gruff old voice, "Here I am standing now." There stood Grandpa Grumbles in the doorway. He had never looked so happy in all his life. He struck the floor fiercely with his green cotton umbrella and said,

"The Circus Cotton-Tails will come, A-rat-a-tat, just hear the drum."

Bunny and Susan listened. Sure enough, they heard the "rat-a-tat," of a drum. Soon they heard the Lion roar in his cage. They all went out as fast as they could.

_There came the Circus Cotton-Tails on parade!_

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes danced in front beating a drum.

Bunny and Susan and Grandpa Grumbles cried, "Hurrah, hurrah, for the Big Parade!"

Grandpa Grumbles waved his green cotton umbrella and shouted, "Have you a merry-go-round?"

The Circus Cotton-Tails stood still. They cried "Hurrah, Bunny! Hurrah, Susan! Of course we have a merry-go-round."

Then the real little Circus Parade stopped. The Circus Cotton-Tails cried, "Hurry, hurry! Help us unpack."

They went to one of the wagons and began to unpack the merry-go-round.

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes helped and Bunny and Susan helped too.

Grandpa Grumbles cried,

"One for the money, ten for the show, Put up the tent, and away we go."

He forgot to grumble. He had never been so happy before in all big life.

It took the Circus Cotton-Tails and Bunny and Susan just exactly one hour and sixteen minutes to put up the merry-go-round, and Grandpa Grumbles bossed the job.

"Will it go?" asked Bunny and Susan under their breath.

Grandpa Grumbles was the first to get in. He cried,

"I'm the first to get inside, Come one and all and have a ride."

Susan said, "Oh, dear! I have lost my spectacles."

It took the Circus Cotton-Tails one hour and sixteen minutes to find Susan's spectacles. There they were safe and sound upon her forehead all the time! Then Bunny went in-doors and burned his paw again by candle-light and it took one hour and sixteen minutes to get his paw well.

Grandpa Grumbles did not grumble a bit. He only sat patiently in the merry-go-round and said to Susan,

"Now, the spectacles are found, All jump in the merry-go-round."

Then he called good-naturedly to Bunny,

"If you'll use a lamp dear Bunny, It will save you time and money."

Bunny and Susan got into the merry-go-round, and the Circus Cotton-Tails got in too.

They were all ready for a ride when Grandpa Grumbles said,

"Some are absent, whom do you suppose?"

The Circus Cotton-Tails shouted in one breath,

"_Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes!_"

Snubby Nose was so little he could not climb up into the merry-go-round without help. He cried and he screamed and he howled! Tippy Toes was so little he could not climb in either but he waited patiently below.

Grandpa Grumbles saw what was the matter. He lowered his green cotton umbrella and helped Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes up into the merry-go-round.

Now they were ready to start. They all cried,

"Give three cheers, away we go, The Circus Cotton-Tails, ho, ho!"

The merry-go-round would not start. They all got out to see what was the matter.

_Then the most surprising thing happened!_

Doctor Cotton-Tail jumped out from under the merry-go-round and said,

"A-riding, too, I'd like to go, Though I may take a nap or so."

Grandpa Grumbles said cheerfully,

"You'll take no nap when with us you go, We may ride too fast, but never slow!"

Doctor Cotton-Tail took a seat in the merry-go-round.

The music began to play and they went round, and round, and round, faster and faster. Bunny began to talk about his fur and whiskers.

Susan began to talk about her b.u.t.tons. Grandpa Grumbles shouted,

"I'm just as happy as I can be, The Circus life is the life for me."