Mary Jane show John the little pigs, Brindle Bess the cow, and then the
baby mice (who soon wouldn't be babies any more, by the way) up in the
loft. And of course they went across the road to see the lamb that by
now was well acquainted with Mary Jane; and they played with Bob who
came frisking to meet them. And last of all they showed John the brand
new baby ducks.

"I'd have liked the rabbits best," said John when they had told him
about the pets that were found and lost so soon the day before.
"Couldn't we get them back again?"

"Maybe we could, maybe we could," said Grandfather thoughtfully. "We
hadn't tried. Maybe that foolish mother took them back to where we got
them. 'Twould be just like her. Let's go see."

So with a child on each side of him (just the very thing he liked best
too), Grandfather and his guests went back through the cornfield and
the pasture lot to where the rabbit nest had been.

"Well," said Grandfather as he bent over the rubbish where the nest had
been, "for a boy who had just come onto a farm, you're a pretty good
guesser, my son. Look here!" He pulled back the rubbish, just as he
had done the day before, and there, before their eyes were the rabbits,
five of them, just as soft and just as warm and comfortable as though
they had never taken a journey in their lives.

[Illustration: "There, before their eyes were the rabbits, five of
them."]

"Didn't they like our house we made for them?" asked Mary Jane.