CHAPTER VII

OUT IN THE RAIN


"Please excuse little Johnnie Hare," said Mrs. Hare to the Monkey. "He
didn't mean to be impolite, asking for your stick."

"Oh, I know," said the Monkey. "He's just like all children--they just
ask what they want to know about. And I suppose it does seem funny to be
a Monkey on a Stick and then not have your stick with you. But I can
tell you where my stick is, Johnnie," said the Monkey to the little
Rabbit chap, and then he related his adventure on Carlo's back.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" said all the other little Rabbits, opening wide their
eyes when they heard this story. "Tell us another, please!"

"We are just going to have dinner," said Mrs. Hare. "Won't you sit down,
Mr. Monkey on a Stick, and take something? We have some nice carrots and
turnips."

"Thank you, I'll take a little," said the Monkey.

A little chair, made from a piece of wood gnawed out by Mr. Jack Hare,
was brought up for the Monkey to sit on, and then the Rabbit family and
the visitor gathered around the table and began eating. I can not say
that the little Rabbit children ate much, for they turned around so
often to look at Mr. Monkey, that, half the time, they missed putting
things in their mouths and dropped them on the table.