"Who are you? And what are you, then?" cried the biggest and fiercest of
the bats, coming so close that his eyes looked like pin-points of light.

"I'm Bumper, the white rabbit!"

There was a pause, and the flittering wings seemed to stop beating the
air.

"Bumper, the white rabbit! Who ever heard of a white rabbit! All rabbits
are brown or gray."

It was the big bat speaking for the others, but they all joined him in
gnashing their teeth and in whipping the air with their soft, almost
noiseless, wings.

"But I assure you I am a white rabbit," replied Bumper. "Come and look at
me."

This challenge seemed fair, and some of the smaller bats approached
nearer, but the leader warned them back. "Keep away! It's the Sewer Rat in
disguise. It's a trick of his to catch you."

"Is the Sewer Rat white?" interrupted Bumper.

"No, not unless he's been whitewashed or been sleeping in a barrel of
flour."

Bumper had to smile at this, for he recalled once how a big rat had been
caught in a bag of flour by the old woman who kept rabbits, and his hair
was as white as that of the whitest rabbit.