However, he had promised to help. So there was nothing to be done except
to follow Jimmy Rabbit's orders. And at once Nimble could hear Jimmy
Rabbit welcoming some early guests.

"Come this way and leave your hats and coats!" Jimmy Rabbit was saying.
And soon he returned with Billy Woodchuck and Fatty Coon at his heels.
Jimmy led them straight to the place where Nimble stood.

"Hang your things on my new hat-rack!" Jimmy Rabbit told them as he
waved a paw toward Nimble's antlers.

And to Nimble's amazement they reached up to do as they were told.

But Nimble's antlers were too high for them.

It was a bad moment for Jimmy Rabbit.

XXIII

HOW NIMBLE HELPED

Billy Woodchuck and Fatty Coon had come early to Jimmy Rabbit's party.
And Jimmy had told them to hang their hats and coats upon his new
hat-rack--meaning Nimble Deer's antlers. But when they tried to do as
they were bid they found that the antlers were beyond their reach.

Of course Jimmy Rabbit was most uncomfortable. He coughed and gave
Nimble an odd look. He even nodded his head at Nimble behind his guests'
backs, thereby doing his best to give Nimble a hint to lower his head.

But Nimble Deer couldn't imagine what Jimmy Rabbit meant. Hadn't Jimmy
warned him not to move--not even to open his mouth, or chew his cud, or
wink? So Nimble stood like a statue.

"I--I see my new hat-rack is too high," Jimmy Rabbit stammered. "Let me
take your hats and coats and I'll hang them up for you while you go and
wait for the rest of the company over by the stone wall!"

So Billy Woodchuck and Fatty Coon gave their hats and coats to Jimmy.

"That's a fine Deer's head," Fatty remarked. "It seems to me I've seen
it before somewhere."

"Perhaps! Perhaps!" Jimmy Rabbit answered. He wished his guests would
move away.

"Those antlers remind me of Nimble Deer's," Billy Woodchuck remarked.
And he gave Nimble a wink, for he had quickly guessed the secret of the
hat-rack and how Jimmy Rabbit had planned to have Nimble at his party
and yet keep him out of the crowd.

"Is this Deer's head stuffed?" Billy Woodchuck asked Jimmy Rabbit.

"Perhaps! Perhaps!" Jimmy muttered. "Move along, please!"

Nimble wanted to return that wink that Billy Woodchuck gave him. But he
didn't, because Jimmy Rabbit had warned him to keep perfectly still.

As soon as his guests had left them Jimmy whispered to Nimble, "Lower
your head a bit, for pity's sake!"

Nimble promptly obeyed h