And the bells rang; and the trees blew; and Tiny walked away under the elms, Baby on arm. 10 But the Junior Subaltern burst open the corn-bin where they had put him for a bit, and came back to the remains of the squash, his knickers rather dusty and his hair rough. And because he thought it must be so very nice, he asked three girls one after the other, and said, "Will you?" And they looked at him, and replied, "You're mad. No; I won't." So the Junior Subaltern leaned his chin on his collar, that had thumb-marks all over it, and said, "Why?" Then the first, who was proper, answered, "Because I'm married already." And the second, who was sound, answered, "Because I'm your Aunt." And the third, who was neither, cocked her nose, and answered, "Because of beastly cheek." And when the Junior Subaltern heard that, he went very tired, and walked home to his mother. And the Junior Subaltern's mother lived in a cottage under the sky, with a wood at the bottom, where the thrushes sang. And all about you, as you walked in the wood, was green moss and trunks of trees and dappled sunshine; and all above you were leaves with the wind in them like waves foaming; and beyond that, blue sky where a lark rippled. But the Junior Subaltern cared for none of that now, and just sat down with his back to it all, and ate no dinner to call any for him, because things were so hard. So his mother sent for the good old doctor, who came on his cob, and leaned a trumpet against the Junior Subaltern's chest. Then the Junior Subaltern said faintly, "Are you there?" because he thought it was a telephone, like they have in Abroad. But the doctor answered, "Say Ah!" So the Junior Subaltern said it, And the Doctor listened down the trumpet and said, "I hear a guilty conscience." Then the Junior Subaltern sent his mother out of the room quick to get a second opinion. So his mother went to fetch the vet. Then the Junior Subaltern confessed in a whisper about the drop of you-know off the feather in the porch, and said, "Only don't tell mother." Just then his mother tramped back in muddy boots and said she couldn't find him. So the good old doctor washed his hands and said it didn't matter; and he dried them before the fire, and went wise, and said, "Er--I think a little careful regulation of the diet will set things straight. Er--I was just telling your son that I should only drink milk and lots of water in it." Then the Junior Subaltern's mother took fire, and snapped, "That's all he does drink." But the Junior Subaltern climbed under the clothes. And when his mother saw that, she wept, and said, "Why?" So the Junior Subaltern answered from under the clothes, "Because I must try to get a little sleep now." But the Commander-in-Chief sat with his hump in the Castle tower, and planned more E-vil. [Illustration: Book III headpiece] BOOK III.--TINY AND BABY IN MOONLAND 11 Tiny came to the Station, Baby on arm.