“Then who did?” asked the Monkey.

“Herbert.  A boy who lives here with his sister Madeline,” went on the Rabbit.

“Dear me! this is getting more and more riddly-like and jokey,” said the Monkey.  “I don’t understand it at all!  Why am I not in the store where I belong?”

“Because you don’t belong there any more,” cried the Candy Rabbit.  “You were bought for the boy Herbert, and you are here at his breakfast plate as a surprise.”

“Well, he isn’t going to be any more surprised than I am,” chattered the Monkey.  “I don’t seem to understand this at all.  How did I get here?”

“I imagine that, after you went to sleep in the store last night, one of the clerks at the toy counter put you in the pasteboard box, wrapped you up and sent you here.”

“I see how it happened,” said the Monkey.  “I went to sleep in the store yesterday afternoon.  I had been up late the night before, as we toys were having some fun.  I was trying to guess a riddle the Calico Clown asked.  It was how do the seeds get inside the apple when there aren’t any holes in the skin.  I was thinking of that riddle, and it kept me up quite late the night before.”

“Did you think of the answer?”

“No, I didn’t,” said the Monkey; “any more than I can think of the answer to the Clown’s riddle of what makes more noise than a——­”

“Hush!  Here come Madeline and Herbert to breakfast!” suddenly whispered the Rabbit.  “Back to your box as quick as you can.  We toys are not allowed to move about by ourselves when any one sees us, you know.”

“Yes, I know!” chattered the Monkey.

Nimbly he sprang back to his box, and clasped the stick, up and down which he climbed when a string was pulled.  As he pulled the box cover down over his head he heard the joyous shouts and laughter of two children as they ran into the room.

“Happy birthday, Herbert!” called Madeline.  “Look and see what Daddy bought for you yesterday!”

When Herbert had the cover off the box and had looked at the Monkey on a Stick lying there with a funny grin on his face, the boy smiled and cried: 

“Oh, it’s a Climbing Monkey!  Oh, this is just what I wanted!  Oh, now I can have a show and a circus and I’ll ask Dick to come and bring his Rocking Horse, and Arnold can come and bring his Bold Tin Soldier, and we’ll have lots of fun.  Oh, look at my Monkey climb his stick!”

Herbert took his new birthday toy from the box, and, by pulling the string, made the Monkey go up and down as fast as anything.  Madeline picked up her Candy Rabbit, and though that Bunny said nothing, he could see all that went on.

“Oh, this is a dandy Monkey!” cried Herbert.  “I can give a show with him!”

While the little boy was making the funny chap go up and down the stick, the door of the breakfast room opened and some one came in.

CHAPTER II