The Man with the Pan-Pipes, and Other Stories Read online

  THE DORMOUSE'S MISTAKE.

  They lived at the corner of the common. Papa, Mamma, Fuzz andBrown-ears, Snip and Peepy, their four children. It was a lovely placeto live at, but as they had never seen any other part of the world, Iam not sure that they thought it quite so delightful as they mightotherwise have done. The children, that is to say--Papa and Mamma ofcourse were wiser. They had _heard_ of very different sorts of placeswhere some poor dormice had to live; small cooped-up nests calledcages, out of which they were never allowed to run about, or to enjoythe delightful summer sunshine, and go foraging for hazel nuts andhaws, and other delicacies, for themselves. For an ancestor of theirshad once been taken prisoner and shut up in a cage, whence, wonderfulto say, he had escaped and got back to the woods again, where hebecame a great personage among dormice, and was even occasionallyrequested to give lectures in public to the squirrels and water-rats,and moles and rabbits, and other forest-folk, describing the strangeand marvellous things he had seen and heard during his captivity. Hehad learnt to understand human talk for one thing, and had taught itto his children; and his great-grandson, the Papa of Fuzz andBrown-ears, Snip and Peepy, had begun to give them lessons in thisforeign language in their turn, for, as he wisely remarked, there wasno saying if it might not turn out useful some day.

  The cold weather set in very early this year. Already, for some days,Fuzz and Brown-ears, Snip and Peepy had begun to feel a curiousheaviness stealing over them now and then; they did not seem inclinedto turn out in the morning, and were very glad when one evening theirmother told them that the store cupboards being now quite full, theyneed none of them get up the next day at all unless they wereinclined.

  "For my part," she added, "I cannot keep awake any longer, nor canyour Papa. We are going to roll ourselves up to-night. You young folkmay keep awake a week or two longer perhaps, but if this frostcontinues, I doubt it. So good-night, my dears, for a month or two;the first mild day we shall all rouse up, never fear, and have a goodmeal before we snooze off again."

  And sure enough next morning, when the young people turned out a gooddeal later than usual, Papa and Mamma were as fast asleep as the sevensleepers in the old story, which had given their name to the Germanbranch of the dormouse family! Fuzz and Brown-ears, Snip and Peepyfelt rather strange and lonely; two round furry balls seemed a veryqueer sort of exchange for their active, bright-eyed father andmother. But as there was plenty to eat they consoled themselves aftera bit, and got through the next two or three weeks pretty comfortably,every day feeling more and more drowsy, till at last came a morningon which six neat little brown balls instead of two lay in a row--thedormouse family had begun their winter repose. And all was quiet andsilent in the cosy nest among the twigs of the low-growing bushes atthe corner of the common.

  THE LECTURE.]

  It seemed as if winter had really come. For three or four weeks therewas but little sunshine even in the middle of the day, and in themornings and evenings the air was piercingly cold.

  "I suppose all the poor little wood-creatures have begun their wintersleep," said Cicely Gray one afternoon as she was hastening home fromthe village by a short cut through the trees. "I must say I ratherenvy them."

  "_I_ don't," said her brother, "I shouldn't like to lose half my life.Hush, Cicely, there's a rabbit. What a jolly little fellow! How hescuds along! There's another, two, three! Oh, Cis, I do hope I shallget some shooting when I come home at Christmas."

  Cicely sighed. "I hate shooting," she said. "I'm sure it would bebetter to sleep half one's life than to stay awake to be shot."

  But it was too cold to linger talking. The brother and sister set offrunning, so that their cheeks were glowing and their eyes sparkling bythe time they got to the Hall gates.

  Three days later Harry had gone off to school. Cicely missed him verymuch; especially as a most pleasant and unexpected change had comeover the weather. A real "St. Martin's summer" had set in. Whatdelightful walks and rambles Harry and she could have had, thoughtCicely, if only it had come a little sooner!

  The mild air found its way into the nest where the six little brownballs lay side by side, till at first one, then another, then all sixslowly unrolled themselves, stretched their little paws, unclosedtheir eyes, and began to look about them.

  "Time for our first winter dinner," said Mrs. Dormouse sleepily; "it'sall ready over there in the corner under the oak leaves. Helpyourselves my dears, eat as much as you can; you'll sleep all thebetter for it. And don't be long about it; it's as much as I can doto keep my eyes open."

  Mr. Dormouse and the others followed her advice. For a few minutesnothing was heard but the little nibbling and cracking sounds whichtold that a raid had been made on the winter stores.

  "Good-night again, my dears," said Papa, who was still sleepier thanMamma.

  "Hush, Cicely there's a Rabbit"]

  "Good-night" was repeated in various tones, but one little voiceinterrupted--it was that of Fuzz.

  "I'm not sleepy, Papa and Mamma; I'm not a bit sleepy. I'm sure it'stime to wake up, and that the summer's come back again. Brown-ears,Snip and Peepy, won't you come out with me? Papa and Mamma can sleep alittle longer if they like."

  "Nonsense," Mrs. Dormouse said sleepily.

  And "Nonsense, brother," repeated the others, "don't disturb us."

  But Fuzz was obstinate and sure he knew best.

  He trotted off, looking back contemptuously at the five balls alreadyrolled up again.

  "Dear, dear! how silly they are to be sure," he said, when he foundhimself out on the grass. "Why, it's certainly summer again! Thesunshine's so bright and warm, the birds are chirping so merrily. Ifeel quite brisk. I think I'll take a ramble over the common to thewood where our cousins the squirrels live, and hear what they have tosay about it."

  JUST WAKEING UP A LITTLE.]

  He cocked his ears and peeped about with his little sparkling eyes.Suddenly he caught sight of something white at the foot of one of theold trees. It was Cicely Gray in her summer flannel, which had beenpulled out of the wardrobe again to do honour to St. Martin.

  "Good morning, little dormouse," she said in her pretty soft voice,"what are you doing out of your nest in late November? Do you thinksummer's come back again already, my little man? If so, you've made agreat mistake. Take warning, and don't stray far from your home, oryou may find yourself in a sad plight. This lovely weather can't lastmany days."

  Fuzz looked at her.

  "Thank you, miss," he replied, for, you see, he understood human talk,though it is to be doubted if Cicely understood _him_. "She mustsurely know," he reflected wisely, "and perhaps after all mamma was inthe right."

  So he scampered in to the nest again and rolled himself up beside theothers.

  That very evening the wind changed; the cold set in in earnest, andfor three months it was really severe.

  "I saw a little dormouse at the corner of the common yesterday," saidCicely the next morning. "I advised him to go home again; he had comeout by mistake, thinking winter was over."

  "You funny girl," said her mother. "I hope he understood you andfollowed your advice, poor little chap."