ompany; for, though the birds
all told her everything about it a great many times over, she could not
understand them, for she had never learned the Phoenician and the
Tufter tongues. After roaming about all day and eating berries, shouting
for her father and sometimes crying, she lay down upon the Old Brown
Coat. The coat she knew; somehow or other she was pretty sure that it
must have had something to do with her strange journey. She had heard
her father tell about the wonderful cushion that Houssain rode upon;
perhaps she had flown here upon the coat; she would lie down upon it and
wish herself home again, and "who knows," said she, "but I shall wake up
on my cot in the morning?"

After Isal had dropped asleep the Tufter who had been sent to the palace
returned quite out of breath; he had such good news to tell; he hurried
through his manners before the punctilious Phoenix, and then proceeded
to relate how he had called on his friend, the Peacock, who lived in the
palace garden. "I had a very good time, indeed," said he; "we had green
peas to eat, and the Peacock showed me all his new feathers. I asked him
about the theft of the coat and what the prince was going to do; but he
did not know much about it; he said that for his part he thought people
made a very ridiculous fuss about a seedy old coat. But just then we
were joined by the Rabbit. The Peacock rather despised him; he whispered
to me--so loud that I am sure the Rabbit must have heard--'Did you ever
see such an absurd tail?' But I am sure the Rabbit is very beautiful and
much more intelligent. The Peacock has such a disagreeable voice, and he
is always trying to sing. I asked the Rabbit if he knew anything about
the coat. He said he did; his friend the Mouse had told him the latest
news that very morning; and the Mouse was very good authority, for he
lived generally in the library and had gone through a great many books;
he was very learned; he had overheard the Prince talking with the
prime-minister, and he gathered that the Prince had sent out a
proclamation, promising to give a very large sum to any one who would
bring back the Old Brown Coat, and if it chanced to be a maiden he would
marry her and make her queen; though of course that was quite absurd,
the Rabbit said; but then the Rabbit jumps at conclusions. The Peacock
tried to turn the conversation once or twice; he thought it was
insufferably dull and finally went off in a dudgeon, and I saw him as I