to finger his stick, but at last the beetle was out of the wood, with nothing but the cobbler's windowpanes between him and the cobbler. Then Hoity Toity sat down again, and looked rather sadly at one little leaf left at the end of a long branch. "Ah, I'll see to my poor shepherd myself," he said. "My little lizard must have got to my poor tailor by this time, and honest friend beetle can't well go wrong now." But Hoity Toity saw me looking at him as if I thought him a very fine little fellow, and Hoity Toity can't bear to be praised by those who do nothing but praise him, and he hates to be idle. He has got a notion, indeed, that if he were to cease to work he would cease to be, and the round world would shrivel up like a pricked bladder. So off went Hoity Toity like a lamplighter. No lamplighter, though, can trot as fast as Hoity Toity, or make such bright lights leap out in such dark corners. He uses his two-horned stick as the lamplighter uses his wand. Easum is the kindler, and Stoppum is the extinguisher; for Hoity Toity is obliged to put out lights sometimes-the very lights that he has lighted. The people who are left in the dark can't make it out at first; but, as they feel about in the dark, they often lay hold of the thing Hoity Toity wanted them to lay hold of, but they have never laid hold of before, though Hoity Toity lighted their lamp just to show them the way to it. When Hoity Toity was gone, I looked at the big whitey-brown mushroom, and it seemed ever so much prettier than it did before, for Hoity Toity, who is always doing something, even when he seems quite idle, had cut his name on the stalk. And then I went to see the tailor. It was easy to find him out, for there was only one tailor in those parts, and his name was Zephaniah Shears. It was a sunny afternoon, and the little lizard was basking on Zephaniah's threshold, looking up now and then with his shy bright little eyes, as if he was saying to himself "It might do you some good if you'd take some notice of me, but I'm in no hurry; take your time, take your time, brother Zeph." It was no wonder that the little lizard looked at lights that he has lighted. The people who are left in the dark can't make it out at first; but, as they feel about in the dark, they often lay hold of the thing Hoity Toity wanted them to lay hold of, but they have never laid hold of before, though Hoity Toity lighted their lamp just to show them the way to it. When Hoity Toity was gone, I looked at the big whitey-brown mushroom, and it seemed ever so much prettier than it did before, for Hoity Toity, who is always doing something, even when he seems quite idle, had cut his name on the stalk. And then I went to see the tailor. It was easy to find him out, for there was only one tailor in those parts, and his name was Zephaniah Shears. It was a sunny afternoon, and the little lizard was basking on Zephaniah's threshold, looking up now and then with his shy bright little eyes, as if he was saying to himself "It might do you some good if you'd take some notice of me, but I'm in no hurry; take your time, take your time, brother Zeph." It was no wonder that the little lizard looked at |