. "They might find a name for it," the
rabbit pleaded.

Then the Man nodded and the rabbit scuttled off.

They hadn't long to wait before they heard a deep breathing and
grunting. Struggling up the frozen path to the cave came all the animals
that God had created. They advanced in single file, the great and the
small mixed up together; the giraffe followed by the hedgehog and the
mastodon preceded by the frog. They came hand-in-hand, forming a chain
to pull one another up, treading on each other's heels, jostling and
slipping back on one another. Those behind kept whispering to those in
front to hurry; those in front were too winded to retort. Their ascent
was made more difficult by their generosity, for all save one of them
carried presents. The one who came empty-handed was the stork. He led
the procession looking stately and pompous, as though he were taking the
credit for having occasioned the disturbance. The Man learnt later that
that was precisely what he was doing--taking all the credit. He had been
telling the animals that it was he who had left the strange little
creature at the Woman's side the night before. Because of this he
pretended that it wasn't necessary for him to bring a present. There
were many who believed him. There still are.

When they had all climbed safely to the top they gathered in a
semi-circle about the Woman, having piled their gifts before her. In
silence they waited; then she parted her hair and showed them the wonder
that nestled in her arms.

The Man, standing at her side, addressed them. "Oh, brothers, I am wise,
for I have walked with God; yet have I never seen anything like it.
There was nothing like it in Eden. I have sent for you that I may ask
you what to call it."

No one answered. He questioned each in turn, but none of them could
advise him.

"We have to find a name for it," he said crossly; "so let's sit down and
think hard."

So they sat down in the snow, scratching their heads, and thought hard.
From time to time the Man enquired whether any of them had had an
inspiration. They never had, which was discouraging when you consider
what a lot of them were thinking. In this way at least an hour must have
passed.

Things were getting both cold and embarrassing, when the little
creature, who was being thought about so hard, showed signs of waking
and began to stir in the Woman's arms. I ought to have told you that
ever since the Man's home-coming it had been sleeping.