and
down, "I want to thank you for being so kind to Hickory Dickory
Dock, the clock-mouse."

"It was a pleasure to be kind to him," said Uncle Wiggily. "Is he
all better now?"

"Yes, he is all well again," replied Mother Goose. "He is coming to
run up and down your clock again soon."

"I'll be glad to see him," said Uncle Wiggily. Then he went to call
on Grandpa Goosey, and he told about Hickory Dickory Dock, falling
down from out the clock.

On his way back to his hollow-stump bungalow, Uncle Wiggily took a
short cut through the woods. And, as he was passing along, his paw
slipped and he became all tangled up in a wild grape vine, which was
like a lot of ropes, all twisted together into hard knots.

"Oh, dear!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "I'm caught!" The more he tried to
untangle himself the tighter he was held fast, until it seemed he
would never get out.

"Oh!" cried the rabbit gentleman. "This is terrible. Will no one
come to get me out? Help! Help! Will some one please help me?"

"Yes, I will help you, Uncle Wiggily," answered a kind, little
squeaking voice.

"Who are you?" asked the rabbit gentleman, moving a piece of the
grape vine away from his nose, so he could speak plainly.

"I am Hickory Dickory Dock, the clock-mouse," was the answer, "and
with my sharp teeth I will gnaw the grape vine in many pieces so you
will be free."

"That will be very kind of you," said Uncle Wiggily, who was quite
tired out with his struggles to get loose.

So Hickory Dickory Dock, with his sharp teeth, gnawed the grape
vine, and, in a little while, Uncle Wiggily was loose and all right
again.

"Thank you," said the bunny uncle to the clock-mouse, as he hopped
off, and Hickory Dickory Dock went with him, for his leg was all
better now. "Thank you very much, nice little clock-mouse."

"You did me a favor," said Hickory Dickory Dock, "and now I have
done you one, so we are even." And that's a good way to be in this
world. So, if the ink bottle doesn't turn pale when it sees the
fountain pen jump in the goldfish bowl and swim I'll tell you next
about Uncle Wiggily and the late scholar.

CHAPTER XXII

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE LATE SCHOLAR

"Heigh-ho!" cried Uncle Wiggily Longears, the nice rabbit gentleman,
one morning, as he hopped from bed and went to the window of his
hollow-stump bungalow to look out. "Heigh-ho! It will soon be
Spring, I hope, for I am tired of Winter."

Then he went down-stairs, where Nurse