nd I pulled him into the
bathtub of water," Madeline explained. "Will he come all to pieces,
Mother?"

Mother looked at the Candy Rabbit carefully. He did not seem to be
harmed much. Inside of him his heart was beating very fast, because of
his adventure, but no one knew that.

"I think he is not much damaged, Madeline," said her mother, with a
smile. "He is made of very hard sugar--is your Candy Rabbit. It would
take more of a soaking than he got to melt him. What were you doing with
him in the bathroom?"

"I was going to wash him, Mother, 'cause maybe he got soiled in the
peddler's basket."

"Well, he has had his bath all right," said Mother, with a laugh. "And I
think he is pretty clean. He does not seem to be melting any, but it
would be well to let him dry. Here, I'll set him on the window sill and
open the window. The breeze will dry him off better than if you wiped
him with a towel. Then you will not wipe off any of his sugar."

"Oh, I'm so glad he is all right," said Madeline. "I thought he would
melt and run down the drain pipe from the bathtub."

"Drain pipe!" The Rabbit shivered.

Mother set the Candy Rabbit, which was quite wet, on a clean cloth on
the bathroom window sill, leaving the sash open.

"The cloth will soak up some of the water, and the gentle wind will blow
the rest off and dry him," said Madeline's mother.

The three little girls looked at the Candy Rabbit sitting on the sill of
the open window in the bathroom.

"Doesn't he look cute?" cried Madeline.

"Too sweet for anything!" said Dorothy.

"Of course he looks _sweet_!" said Mirabell. "He's made of sugar, you
know!"

Then the three little girls laughed and went downstairs to play with
Dorothy's Sawdust Doll and Mirabell's Lamb on Wheels.

Left to himself on the window sill, the Candy Rabbit took a long breath.

"That was a narrow escape I had," he said. "I was very nearly drowned
and melted in the water. I had better keep very still and quiet until I
am quite dry again, or I may come apart like the Jack in the Box who
jumped off his spring. Yes, I will sit here very quietly until I am dry.
I do feel so wet and sticky!"

The Candy Rabbit looked around the bathroom. There was no other toy
there with whom he could play, even if he had felt like moving around
just then, which he did not feel like doing.

"The Calico Clown and the Monkey on a Stick will think it quite
wonderful when I tell them what has happened to me," said t