He saw that the grasses were being shaken in a double circle, but only a pair of ­reddish backs were visible like thin red streaks.

“Come,” his mother said, “we’ll go over. They’ll be company for you.”

Bambi would have run, but as his mother walked slowly, peering to right and to left at every step, he held himself back. Still, he was bursting with excitement and very impatient.

“I thought we would meet Ena sometime,” his mother went on to say. “Where can she have been keeping herself? I thought I knew she had one child, that wasn’t hard to guess. But two of them! . . .”

At last the others saw them and came to meet them. Bambi had to greet his aunt, but his mind was entirely on the children.

His aunt was very friendly. “Well,” she said to him, “this is Gobo and that is Faline. Now you run along and play together.”

The children stood stock-still and stared at each other, Gobo close beside Faline and Bambi in front of him. None of them stirred. They stood and gaped.

“Run along,” said Bambi’s mother, “you’ll soon be friends.”

“What a lovely child,” Aunt Ena replied. “He is really lovely. So strong, and he stands so well.”

“Oh well,” said his mother modestly, “we have to be content. But to have two of them, Ena! . . .”

“Oh yes, that’s all very well,” Ena declared; “you know, dear, I’ve had children before.”

“Bambi is my first,” his mother said.

“We’ll see,” Ena comforted her, “perhaps it will be different with you next time, too.”

The children were still standing and staring at each other. No one said a word. Suddenly Faline gave a leap and rushed away. It had become too much for her.

In a moment Bambi darted after her. Gobo followed him. They flew around in a semicircle, they turned tail and fell over each other. Then they chased each other up and down. It was glorious. When they stopped, all topsy-turvy and somewhat breathless, they were already good friends. They began to chatter.

Bambi told them how he talked to the nice grasshopper and the butterfly.

“Did you ever talk to the goldbug?” asked Faline.

No, Bambi had never talked to the goldbug. He did not even know who he was.

“I’ve talked to him often,” Faline declared, a little pertly.

“The jay insulted me,” said Bambi.

“Really,” said Gobo astonished, “did the jay treat you like that?” Gobo was very easily astonished and was extremely timid.

“Well,” he observed, “the hedgehog stuck me in the nose.” But he only mentioned it in passing.

“Who is the hedgehog?” Bambi asked eagerly. It seemed wonderful to him to be there with friends, listening to so many exciting things.

“The hedgehog is a terrible creature,” cried Faline, “full of long spines all over his body and very wicked!”

“Do you really think he’s wicked?” asked Gobo. “He never hurts anybody.”

“Is that so?” answered Faline quickly. “Didn’t he stick you?”

“Oh, that was only because I wanted to speak to him,” Gobo replied, “and only a little anyhow. It didn’t hurt me much.”

Bambi turned to Gobo. “Why didn’t he want you to talk to him?” he asked.

“He doesn’t talk to anybody,” Faline interrupted; “even if you just come where he is he rolls himself up so he’s nothing but prickles all over. Our mother says he’s one of those people who don’t want to have anything to do with the world.”

“Maybe he’s only afraid,” Gobo said.

But Faline knew better. “Mother says you shouldn’t meddle with such people,” she said.

Presently, Bambi began to ask Gobo softly, “Do you know what ‘danger’ means?”

Then they both grew serious and all three heads drew together.