The grass swished and swashed against the legs and ears of the Candy Rabbit as the cat carried him along.  The Rabbit was not hurt any, because the ribbon was not tied very tightly about his neck.  And of course the cat’s teeth did not touch him.  But, for all that, the Candy Rabbit was very angry and somewhat alarmed.

“What are you going to do with me?” he asked the cat.

“You’ll see!” was the answer.  “I’m going to fix you for spoiling my chance of getting a goldfish dinner!  I’m going to lose you, and then I’ll go back and get a fish.”

Carrying the Candy Rabbit a little way farther into the tall grass, the cat suddenly let go of the ribbon.  The Rabbit fell down, but as the grass was soft, like a cushion, he was not hurt.  He gave a little grunt as he fell down.

“Now you stay here a while and see how you like it,” said the bad cat, and away he trotted, hoping to get a meal of goldfish this time.  And there came to the poor Candy Rabbit from the distance the sound of the Cat’s voice as he laughed, “Ha-ha,” and snarled, “I’ve fixed you all right!  Ha-ha!”

“Dear me!” thought the poor Candy Rabbit, “I wonder what will happen to me.  I must try to get out of here.  I can hop, as long as no human eyes see me.  Maybe I can get back in time to warn the goldfish of their danger.”

The Rabbit tried to hop, but, being made of candy as he was, with rather stiff legs that were not very long, he could not go very fast.  And when he had made a few hops he was very tired.

“Dear me!  I shall have to stay here forever, perhaps,” he sighed.  “And, if it rains and I get wet, I’ll melt and there will be nothing left of me!  Oh, what trouble I am in!”

The Candy Rabbit crouched down in the grass, and pretty soon he heard some voices talking.  He knew they were the voices of boys, and, in a little while, he heard one say: 

“Now, Herbert, you hold the kite and I’ll run with it.”

“All right, Dick,” said some one else.  “I hope it flies away up high in the air.”

“I’ll keep the tail clear of the weeds,” said another boy.

“That’s the way, Dick,” said the first boy.

The Candy Rabbit, down in the grass, heard this.

“They must be Dick, Herbert and Arnold,” he thought.  “They have come here to fly their kite.  I hope they find me and take me home in time to save the goldfish from the cat.”

There was more talk and laughter among the boys, but the Candy Rabbit could not see what they were doing.  All at once, though, one boy said.

“The tail of the kite is not heavy enough.  We’ve got to tie something to it.  And, oh, here is the very thing!” he went on.  “We’ll give him a ride up in the air!”

“Give who a ride?” asked Dick, for it was Herbert who had spoken.

“Give Madeline’s Candy Rabbit a ride on the end of the kite tail,” went on Herbert.  “Here’s her Rabbit down in the grass.”