that the poor knitted person was flung bodily into a rose bush, where he stayed helplessly bent double until Dinah went to his assistance.
"Are you hurted, sah?" she asked anxiously, shaking him up and setting him on his feet. Then making sure that no one was looking she whispered, "Don't you all say nuffin' 'bout that clock strikin,' for the Princess has done forgot all about it!"
When the knitted gentleman landed in the rose bush, he looked so comical that everybody began to laugh. Then, all at once, remembering the owl's warning and the clock striking, they stopped as suddenly as they had begun. Only the Princess continued to laugh heartily, until seeing that she was laughing quite by herself she stopped too. The company stared at her dismally. "Has your Majesty," began the Jack-in-the-box gloomily, "so soon forgotten the stri—" He got no further for down swooped black Dinah and clapped the lid upon his head. The owl says it was a—," began the rabbit stepping forward importantly. Before he could finish, Dinah rolled her eyes in disgust, and, seeing no other way of changing the subject, plunged in the lake.
"Save her! Save her!" cried the Princess, wringing her hands. All the Cozytown folk rushed down to the water's edge. The wooden soldiers plunged in gallantly; it took the whole army of them to bring her to shore, she being a very stoutish person, and while they were wringing her out (what else could one do to a dripping rag doll?) she managed to tell them not to mention the striking of the clock to the Princess. The Captain immediately decorated her with a pink ribbon, which is the highest honor one can receive in Cozytown. I am sure she deserved it. She pinned it to her petticoat so that the Princess would not see it, and then suffered herself to be hung on a line over a fire to dry.
Meanwhile, the knitted gentleman had warned all the others not to mention the striking of the clock, and as they
