She crawled cautiously to the edge and peeped over, and found that the bed was floating, like an old Spanish galleon, upon the ocean. “Well!” she exclaimed, “I’ve gone back to bed, but not the way that horrid old Clerk thought.” And then she flung herself down and hugged the bulgy pillow. “Thank you, old Bed!” she cried, “thank you, just heaps and heaps!” And she almost wept with joy to find herself safe. “Please don’t weep,” said a gentle, soothing voice, “it makes me damp, and damp beds are DANGEROUS!” As it said this last word the voice became quite fierce, and so surprised Coppertop that she sat up and dried her eyes hastily. “But where are Tibbs and Kiddiwee?” she faltered. “I’m dreadfully unhappy about them.” “Some folks are never happy unless they’re _unhappy_ about something!” droned the voice, grown soft and almost feathery again. “They’ll be all right--boys always are. Just wait and see, my dearie, just wait and see.” As the Bed was saying so soothingly, “Wait and see, wait and see,” a gentle breeze began to blow, the curtains of the old bed filled out like sails, and it glided with a gentle roll over the silvery ocean. Before Coppertop could worry any further over Tibbs or Kiddiwee, she was sound asleep. CHAPTER V. THEY MEET THEIR FIRST BEAR When Coppertop opened her eyes, her first thought was that the bed had become very hard, and her second that she was cold, freezingly cold. She sat up. And then, to her great surprise, she saw that she was on the bed no longer, but seated upon something white and glistening. “Why, it’s snow!” she declared, “beautiful, crisp snow. But however did I get here?” “What does that matter?” said a familiar voice, and, looking round, she beheld Tibbs and Kiddiwee. With a scream of delight, she flung her arms round them, but Tibbs wriggled out of her reach--he never liked being hugged. “But I simply must know how we all came to be here,” repeated Coppertop, when she had recovered from her excitement. “It’s awfully strange!” “Don’t bother about a little thing like that. Girls _are_ funny,” remarked Tibbs, grandly. “But it isn’t a little thing,” said Coppertop. “Well, anyhow, _you_ are!” “’Es, and Tibbs and me is too,” piped up Kiddiwee, “twemendously small!” “Small, are we?” “Rather,” assured Tibbs; “why we’re not as large as these snowflakes, see.” “Good gracious!” exclaimed Coppertop, “so we are! However did it all happen?” “Oh, _don’t_ bother about that,” said Tibbs again. “Pretend we know,” suggested Kiddiwee. “All right. That’ll be rather fun,” assented Coppertop. And so it was settled. “Oh, how the dear old snow sparkles,” she continued, “and isn’t it a lovely day. Perhaps we can find a fine day here to take back to Australia for Mummie and Daddy to arrive on. Do let us try.” “You can’t take one without asking the South Wind,” warned Tibbs. “He’d be furious about it. Besides this is too cold for December.” “My toes are freezing, they are,” cried Kiddiwee.