e was
Jimmy Rabbit. But she had never gone near the farm buildings with more
than two others. And she didn't intend to break her rule now.

Besides, it annoyed her above all to know that her son had spread the
news of the excursion far and wide.

"Did you _invite_ these people?" she asked Nimble in a low voice.

"No! Oh, no!"

"Then what brings them here?" she demanded.

"Their legs, I suppose," he replied.

"Be careful!" she said. "Be very careful!"

Then Nimble began to whine. And that was something he almost never did.

"They said they'd like to come," he told his mother. "And I said maybe
you wouldn't mind."

"Well, I do mind," she declared firmly. "When I take a child to the
carrot patch for the first time I don't want company. One of this crowd
is more than likely to rouse old dog Spot. And we can't have him
ranging around while we're dining."

"Then tell everybody to go home!" Nimble suggested. "Tell them to go
'way!"

"No!" said his mother. "That wouldn't be polite."

She was silent for a few moments. And then she explained to Jimmy Rabbit
and to the owners of the pairs of eyes that still stared at her out of
the darkness. She explained that on account of an unexpected party she
wasn't going to the carrot patch that night.

"When are you going?" asked the owner of one pair of specially bright
eyes.

"Ha!" Nimble's mother exclaimed. "Is that Cuffy Bear speaking?"

"Yessum!" said the same voice.

"I fear," she told him, "I may not be able to go for a long time."

"Never mind!" Cuffy cried. "I can go any night--that is, until I den up
for the winter."

And every one in the company declared that he hadn't a single engagement
that would prevent him from visiting the garden whenever Nimble's mother
should say the word.

"Well," said she, "it won't be to-night, anyhow." And with that she
turned around and began to walk along the runway again, away from the
pasture fence.

As Nimble followed her Jimmy Rabbit skipped alongside him and whispered
in his ear.

"Don't fail to let me know when the time comes!"

But Nimble said never a word. Somehow he suspected that he had made a
great mistake.

He _knew_ he had, a little later.

VII

THE STRANGE LIGHT

Weeks went by; and still Nimble's mother said no more about visiting
Farmer Green's carrot patch. Nimble himself did not dare to mention
carrots now. It was his own fault that the excursion had been postponed.
And much as he still w