Little Billy-goat stood on the seat and ate crackers, making a
great crunching. The fat lady laughed at it till she shook all over, but
the severe lady drew the corners of her mouth down, looking crosser
than ever.

Karsten was so glad to have some one admire the kid that he made it do
all the tricks it could. However, that was soon over, for it could not
do anything except stand on two legs.

Just as it stood there on two legs, with the most innocent face you can
imagine, it gave a little leap--oh, oh! up towards the hat of the fat
lady; and that very instant the beautiful red cherries crackled in
Billy-goat's mouth.

"Oh, my new hat!" screamed the fat lady.

"It is outrageous that one should be liable to such treatment," said the
cross lady.

"That's the time you got fooled, Billy-goat!" said Karl, "for you got
glass cherries instead of real cherries."

Mother had lost all patience now and no mistake; and the kid had to go
under the seat and lie there the whole time. And Mother offered the fat
lady some chocolates and some of Mother Goodfields' home-made cakes that
we had brought for luncheon, and begged her pardon again and again for
Billy-goat's behavior; so that finally the fat lady was a little
appeased. The goat had eaten four of the glass cherries and there were
eight still left on the hat, so it wasn't wholly spoiled.

[Illustration: The beautiful red cherries crackled in Billy-goat's
mouth.--_Page 236._]

"Well, all I know is I would never have stood it," said the lady with
the lorgnette.

The forest-cat behaved beautifully, sleeping the whole time on the
train; and we all grew tired, oh! so tired. I couldn't look out of the
window at last, I was so utterly tired out. And I did not bother myself
about either the cat or the billy-goat.

Finally we rumbled into the city and to the station platform.

But Mother was altogether right in saying that it would never do in the
world to have a billy-goat in the city. When we got to the hotel where
we were to spend that night, there stood the host at the door. He is a
very cross man. When he saw Billy-goat in Karsten's arms he was furious
at once. He had not fitted up his rooms for animals, he said, and the
goat would please be so good as to keep itself entirely outside of them.
So Billy-goat was put into the pitch-dark coal-cellar--and had to stay
there the whole night.

When we went down the next morning it stood on two legs and danced
sideways from pur