Page:The Princess of Cozytown.pdf/20

 "You're looking charming, my dear!" whispered the knitted gentleman in Miss Amanda's ear as she hurried toward the Princess with a platter of crumpets. Everyone in Cozytown felt that the knitted gentleman had his shoe-buttons (pshaw, I mean his eyes) on Miss Amanda.

Miss Hepzibah was charming. She presided at the tea table, and the wooden soldiers and the pink rabbit rushed here and there with cups of tea and plates of cake until everyone was served. Dinah, after much coaxing, consented to sing, and altogether the tea was a most delightful affair.

"Wait!" cried Miss Amanda, suddenly springing from her chair. "I have another surprise for you!" She hurried into the kitchen, returning the next minute with a plate of steaming gingerbread. Mm-mmm! What a delicious fragrance. The knitted doll took a huge mouthful, then with starting eyes ran to the window and hastily got rid of it. "G," he whispered in a terrible voice to the pink rabbit, who was on the point of devouring his piece at one gulp. "It begins with 'G'!" The same thing seemed to strike the whole party at once, and they all sat terrified with the gingerbread held a few inches from their mouths. All except the Princess. Just as she was about to take a bite of her piece, the knitted gentleman bumped her elbow and knocked her plate to the floor.

"How clumsy of me," he murmured, pretending to be greatly embarrassed, at the same time putting his foot on the cake and crushing it completely.

"It might have been poisoned," he whispered to the pink rabbit, wiping the perspiration from his knitted forehead. At this rather perplexing moment Judge Owl was announced. He always came late for tea, but nobody dared to object. He took a seat near the door and consumed ten