But he always locked the door after him,
and carried away the key.
At last, one day he was in such a hurry
that he turned the key before the door was
quite latched, which, of course, didn't lock
it at all. He went away without noticing,
--he was in such a hurry.
The little Field Mouse knew that his
chance had come to run away home. But
he didn't want to go without the pretty,
shiny acorn. Where it was he didn't know,
so he looked everywhere. He opened every
little drawer and looked in, but it wasn't
in any of the drawers; he peeped on every
shelf, but it wasn't on a shelf; he hunted
in every closet, but it wasn't in there.
Finally, he climbed up on a chair and
opened a wee, wee door in the chimney-
piece,--and there it was!
He took it quickly in his forepaws, and
then he took it in his mouth, and then he
ran away. He pushed open the little door;
he climbed up, up, up the little stairs; he
came out through the hole under the root;
he ran and ran through the fields; and at
last he came to his own house.
When he was in his own house he set
the shiny acorn on the table. I guess he
set it down hard, for all at once, with a little
snap, it opened!--exactly like a little box.
And what do you think! There was a
tiny necklace inside! It was a most beautiful
tiny necklace, all made of jewels, and
it was just big enough for a lady mouse.
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