“Was it, darling?” said mamma. “Try to go to sleep again, dear, for it is very late, and you can tell me all about it to-morrow. Good-night, my little boy.” [Illustration] CHAPTER NINTH. DOWN THE RAT-HOLE. The next day Teddy was allowed to go about and follow mamma into the sewing-room, where he had the little cutting-table drawn out and his toys put on it, and played for a long time. In the afternoon Harriett stopped for a little while, and as soon as Teddy saw her his thoughts went back to the Counterpane Fairy and the story, and he cried out: “Oh, Harriett! I know what you dreamed last night.” “What did I dream?” asked Harriett. “Why, you dreamed about the soap-bubbles and me; didn’t you?” “How did you know I dreamed that?” asked Harriett. Then Teddy told her all about standing by the lake and seeing the dreams go past, and how he had shut the ugly one up in the toy-closet. Harriett listened with great interest. “Wasn’t that a funny dream?” she cried when he had ended. “A dream!” said Teddy. “Why, that wasn’t a dream, Harriett. That’s the story the Counterpane Fairy showed me. And don’t you know you _did_ dream about the bubbles?” Harriet was silent awhile as if pondering it, and then she said, “My canary-bird flew away this morning.” “Who let it out?” asked Teddy, with interest. “Did you?” Harriett hesitated. “Well, I didn’t exactly let it out,” she said. “I guess I forgot to close the door after I cleaned its cage.” Then she added hastily: “But mamma hung the cage outside the window, and she says she thinks maybe it’ll come back unless someone has caught it.” Teddy wanted to hear a great deal more about the canary, but Harriett said she must go now, so he was left alone again to play with his toys. After dinner his mother went down-town to buy a present for Harriett, for the next day was to be the little girl’s birthday. Teddy wanted to get her a bag of marbles, but she thought perhaps she would be able to find something Harriett would like better than that. She would look about and see. Before she went she made Teddy lie down on the bed, and covered him over with the silk quilt, so that he might rest for a while. Then she kissed him and told him to try to take a nap, and promised to be back soon. After she had gone Teddy dozed comfortably for a while. Then he grew wide awake again, and turning over on his back he raised his knees into a hill, and lay looking out of the window, and wondering when mamma would come home, and what she would bring with her. “You’re not asleep, are you?” asked a little voice from his knees. “Oh, Counterpane Fairy, I’m so glad you’ve come,” cried Teddy, “for mamma has gone down-town, and I was just beginning to get lonely.” There was the familiar little figure in the brown cloak and hood, seated on top of the counterpane hill, and as he spoke she looked down on him smilingly. “I suppose the next thing will be a story,” she said.