Here Lady Arabella threw herself on the ground and kicked with all her might and main. You could scarcely see her brown shoes and stockings, Lady Arabella kicked them to and fro so very fast. A strange way, indeed, for Lady Arabella to act! It didn’t seem at all like a doll who had been made to live with a little Princess. Surely such a doll would be on her best behavior every moment of the time. [Illustration] But you would have thought it still more strange if you could have seen Mischief hiding down behind the sleigh. All of the other Brownies were so sorry for Lady Arabella that they looked quite troubled; one or two of them looked quite shocked. But Mischief was not troubled at all. He almost seemed trying not to laugh. He was muttering to himself as well, and Silvertongue said afterward that he thought he heard him say, ‘Hurrah for you, Lady Arabella! That is a good tantrum. That is one of the best tantrums I have ever seen.’ Now Santa Claus was like the Brownies. He was troubled to see Lady Arabella so unhappy. It was growing late, too. ‘Dear me!’ said Santa Claus, rubbing his nose with his great fur glove. ‘Dear me! Little Princess Maud won’t want a doll who has been crying. Perhaps you had better jump in, Merrythought, and go with us, after all.’ ‘Yes, sir,’ answered Merrythought. His breath was quite taken away at the idea of going round the world with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. But he managed to raise Lady Arabella to her feet and together they quickly climbed into place in the sleigh. Mischief tucked the robe round Lady Arabella and patted her hand. Santa Claus gathered up the reins, he cracked his whip, the Brownies gave three loud cheers, and the sleigh was off. Lady Arabella still behaved strangely. She wiped her eyes and smiled round at Merrythought. She was not at all ashamed of having had a tantrum, though the Red Jumping Jack and the White Polar Bear gave her a scornful look. Then she hid her face on Merrythought’s shoulder and laughed and laughed and laughed. And not until they were well out of sight of the palace was she able to sit around straight and look about her as she rode. Now have you guessed the secret that Lady Arabella and Mischief had between them? Just think a moment and I am sure you will. * * * * * On sped the sleigh over the snow, the moon and the stars glittering cold and bright in the frosty sky. Snow, snow, still more snow. Then the forests, dark and piney and sweet-smelling. Now and then a house. Up, up, up to the roof would go the sleigh, down the chimney Santa Claus would creep, then back again to his place and off, the reindeer seeming fairly to fly over the snow. Now a village, now a town.