such a fine shiny little acorn that he thought he would take it home
with him; so he put out his paw to touch it, but the little acorn rolled
away from him. He ran after it, but it kept rolling on, just ahead of
him, till it came to a place where a big oak-tree had its roots spread
all over the ground. Then it rolled under a big round root.

Little Mr Field Mouse ran to the root and poked his nose under after the
acorn, and there he saw a small round hole in the ground. He slipped
through and saw some stairs going down into the earth. The acorn was
rolling down, with a soft tapping sound, ahead of him, so down he went
too. Down, down, down, rolled the acorn, and down, down, down, went the
Field Mouse, until suddenly he saw a tiny door at the foot of the
stairs.

The shiny acorn rolled to the door and struck against it with a tap.
Quickly the little door opened and the acorn rolled inside. The Field
Mouse hurried as fast as he could down the last stairs, and pushed
through just as the door was closing. It shut behind him, and he was in
a little room. And there, before him, stood a queer little Red Man! He
had a little red cap, and a little red jacket, and odd little red shoes
with points at the toes.

"You are my prisoner," he said to the Field Mouse.

"What for?" said the Field Mouse.

"Because you tried to steal my acorn," said the little Red Man.

"It is my acorn," said the Field Mouse; "I found it."