“But am I mistaken? Did you mention a birthday party?”

“Yes,” said Bobbin excitedly. “It’s my brother’s party, and ever so many friends are coming, and there’s lots and lots to eat. Thistle cakes, with the prickles all over the tops; dandelion milk, lovely and frothy, that’s to be drunk through a grass straw; daisy creams with pink edges; and, oh! best of all, buttercups, full of butter. And I nearly forgot — gum-leaves to chew, for those who like chewing-gum. Then last of all, there’s grass salad for the mothers and fathers,”

Bobbin hopped about with glee and twitched her ears in a most surprising manner, while Blinky’s eyes bulged with excitement.

“Could I come to the party?” he inquired breathlessly.

“You haven’t a present to bring!” Bobbin answered.

“I know that,” replied Blinky sorrowfully; “but I’ll let them play with my ears if they like.”

Bobbin looked at his ears and considered the matter for a moment.

“Well, perhaps that will do,” she replied. “We could hide the peanut in them when we play ‘hunt the slipper’.”

It sounded rather a muddle to Blinky; but he was prepared to take any risks if only he could get to the party.

“Could we go now?” he inquired anxiously.

“Yes, but wipe your feet on the grass, before we go inside, as mother’s been cleaning all night long,” Bobbin advised.

Blinky did as he was told, and followed Bobbin through the doorway. Fortunately for him the burrow was a large one, so he had no difficulty in crawling along.

“Isn’t it dark!” he said in a frightened voice.

“You’ll soon get used to that,” Bobbin replied cheerfully, as she padded ahead. “Do you hear the scraping and thumping? That’s the party,” she said excitedly.

“What are they doing?” Blinky asked.

“Dancing!” Bobbin replied. “Let’s hurry…”

In and out of passages they ran, round corners, up and down, and at last came to a large cave. The floor and the walls were bare earth, but over the ground a carpet of grass was spread, and the ceiling was bright with flowers. From the centre a bunch of Christmas bells hung, and directly underneath, the table was spread with all the party cakes and drinks. In the middle of the table a birthday cake stood, glittering with dewdrops that fell from the flowers surrounding it, It was made from corn husks and thistledown, so you can imagine how crunchy it must have tasted.

As Blinky and Bobbin appeared the guests stood and gazed in wonderment; their large brown eyes opened very widely and nervous noses sniffed the air.

“Here’s Blinky Bill,” Bobbin called as she hopped to the middle of the cave, “and he’s come to see the party.”

“You’re very welcome, I’m sure,” kind Mrs Rabbit said, as she took Blinky’s paw. “Come along and meet my friends. This is Madam Hare; shake paws with her. She is very shy, but is an old friend of mine; and this is Brer Rabbit, my husband, who is a great hunter; and here is Bunchy, my son, whose birthday it is.” Each one shook paws with Blinky, and he wondered if it would ever come to an end, and the party start, as he was feeling very hungry and wanted to taste those gum-tips. Bunchy thought it great fun to have a bear at his party and followed Blinky wherever he went.

“You’ve lost your tail!” he said in surprise as he hopped round him.

“Don’t wear a tail,” Blinky mumbled.

“Why does everyone pass remarks about my tail or my nose,” he wondered.

“Tea’s ready,” Mrs Rabbit called. And everyone made a rush for the table.

“Don’t rush, and don’t grab,” Brer Rabbit thundered in a loud voice.

Madam Hare may have been shy, but Blinky noticed she reached the table as soon as he, and rather rudely pushed her way right beside Brer Rabbit.

“The bold hussy,” someone whispered and gave her tail a nip.

She gave a little scream and spitefully bit the ear of the rabbit who sat next to her; but it wasn’t Brer Rabbit’s ear.

“Order! Order!” Brer Rabbit commanded. “This is a party, and no fighting, please. If your tails are in the way, sit on them.”

The party went on pleasantly after that command. Everyone nibbled and munched, except Blinky who forgot his manners completely and gobbled the gum-leaves as fast as he could. It was just as well nobody else liked them, for in a very short time they had all vanished. The cake was a great success and Bunchy handed a piece to each guest, quickly taking a nibble from one or two when nobody was looking.

His mother gave him a sharp nip on the ear when she found him poking his paw in the dandelion milk, and slyly sucking it when he thought he was safely hidden from view.

“You naughty young rab!” she exclaimed. “Didn’t I tell you a dozen times to behave yourself, and not to poke the cakes and things, and not to put your paws on the table? And while I think of it, eat with your mouth closed, and don’t lick your whiskers. Now take that dandelion milk that you’ve had your paws in round to Madam Hare; only don’t tell her what you did.”

“No, mother,” said Bunchy obediently, and he hopped to Madam Hare and handed her the milk.

“You dear little rab!” she cried in a very high voice. “I do like dandelion milk.”

“So do I,” remarked Bunchy as he hopped away.

“What’s that? What’s that?” said Brer Rabbit in between mouthfuls of grass salad.

“Father, you’re speaking with your mouth full; and it’s so bad for the children to see,” gently reprimanded Mrs Rabbit, much to Blinky’s amusement, as his mother had often corrected him for exactly the same thing.

“Can’t we have games, Mrs Rabbit?” he asked when at last he sat before an empty plate.

“Games and dancing — that’s the idea,” roared Brer Rabbit. “Clear the floor.”

Everyone helped, and Blinky gave Madam Hare’s tail another pull as he passed her with an armful of grass.

“Dear, dear, I think there are rats about,” she said in an injured tone. “My poor tail has been pulled again, and you all know it’s moulting time, I’ll catch a dreadful cold if I lose any more fur.”

Nobody seemed to take any notice of Madam Hare’s complaints, and Blinky and Bunchy both agreed to give it another pull later on in the evening.

When the last piece of grass was cleaned from the floor Mrs Rabbit clapped her paws three times and a dozen large locusts appeared out of the ground. It was a surprise, as nobody expected anything like that to happen.

“Who are they?” Blinky whispered to Bobbin.

“That’s the orchestra,” she cried jumping up and down excitedly.

Each locust walked to a corner of the cave and quietly sat down with an expectant look on his face. The conductor, who was a “double drummer”, scraped his hind legs on his wings. “Gurra-gurra-gurra” came the vibrating notes.