And Santa Claus laughed in spite of himself to see his Brownies turning somersaults in the soft snow. ‘Oh, Santa Claus, we want a holiday!’ shouted the Brownies. ‘We don’t feel like working at all. We want a holiday, Santa Claus. Do say that we may.’ ‘Yes, yes, indeed,’ nodded Santa Claus, laughing again to see his Brownies’ antics in the snow. ‘You will work all the better for a little fun. Be off, every one.’ So off they went, three by three, each little group of Brownies with a plan of its own. Sharpeyes, the little errand boy, Merrythought, the very best toy-maker of them all, and little Crusty, who was in charge of the reindeer, ran off to call on a nearby family of seals. Mischief, Nimbletoes, and Fleetfoot scampered down to a great smooth stretch of snow back of the stable where the eight tiny reindeer lived. ‘We want to run races, Santa Claus,’ called they, ‘more than anything else in the world.’ Kindheart, Silvertongue, and Sweet-Tooth, chief of the candy cooks, stood for a moment wondering just where they would go. ‘We mean to take a long walk,’ said Silvertongue to Santa Claus, who stood by their side. ‘Tell us where to go, Santa Claus, for we don’t know.’ ‘Have you ever been to the Town of Bo-Peep?’ asked Santa Claus. ‘I would go there, if I were you. It used to be a gay, merry little Town, but you will find it very different now. Stay as long as you like. There may be some work for you to do.’ So the three Brownies set off for the Town of Bo-Peep. ‘It is too far to walk all the way,’ said Santa Claus. ‘You had better borrow my handkerchief for a sail.’ A gentle breeze was blowing, and as the Brownies held up Santa Claus’s great white handkerchief, with S.C. embroidered in the corner, the wind filled the handkerchief like a sail and took them steadily along. It was great fun to skim over the ground and surprising to see how quickly they traveled. They soon left the cold and snow behind. Presently the grass grew green and the sun shone warm and the three little Brownies put down the great handkerchief and tripped merrily along the road hand in hand. ‘I smell the sea,’ said Sweet-Tooth, who, being a cook, had a very sharp nose. On they ran, and at a turn in the road they came upon the sea, wide and blue and sparkling under a summer sky. Far out in the water stood a Lighthouse. Below the road stretched the beach, a long curve of firm, white sand, and back of the beach lay the little Town of Bo-Peep. It was a pretty little Town with red roofs and chimney pots, and each little house had its own gay little garden plot. But the Town was quiet, no one walked about the streets. And though the tide was low and the cool wet sand lay bare, not a single child was playing on the beach. ‘They have all gone away,’ said Kindheart. ‘The Town seems empty to-day.’ ‘Perhaps they have gone on a picnic,’ suggested Silvertongue, ‘or for a sail across the bay.’ But Sweet-Tooth shook his head.