118
MR . BUNT
much for Dabs and, climbing over the railing, he drops to the ground below , just as the bear and Mr. Bunt enter, followed by a crowd of delighted children .
SCENE 3
The crowd makes a semi-circle about the bear, who is nodding and waving his great shaggy
paws at the people, when the window opens and Rose looks out. The bear, who is doing some very funny steps, happens to look up and catches sight of her. He ends quite suddenly, so suddenly that Mr. Bunt is very much fright ened and stops the organ and goes timidly over and looks up at the face of the great bear that stands above him so rigidly, staring at
Rose on the balcony. And then the bear moves his great paws
slowly towards his face as though to shield it, to cut out something from his view , and he is trembling. And then , oh then, Mr. Bunt
understands, of course , that it is the signal to do the magic string dance. So Mr. Bunt, with
all the air of a great showman , reaches up and draws down the great paws, pretending to attach strings to them and his feet, and in a pretty pantomime shows that he is going to