"
Evidently it did taste good, for the rabbit ate it greedily. When it
was not roaring, the creature was so soft and fluffy that Trot
played with it and fondled it a long time after it had finished
eating, and the rabbit played with the cat and the dog and the lamb
and did not seem a bit afraid of the parrot or the peacock. But all
of a sudden in pounced Princess Indigo with a yell of anger.
"So this is how you waste your time, is it?" exclaimed the Princess,
and grabbing Trot's arm, she jerked the girl to her feet and began
pushing her from the room. All the pets began to follow her, and
seeing this, Indigo yelled at them to keep back. As they paid no
attention to this command, the princess seized a basin of water and
dashed the fluid over the beasts and birds, after which she renewed
her attempt to push Trot from the room. The pets rebelled at such
treatment, and believing they ought to protect Trot, whom they knew
to be their friend, they proceeded to defend her. The little blue
dog dashed at Indigo and bit her right ankle, while the blue cat
scratched her left leg with its claws and the parrot flew upon her
shoulder and pecked her ear. The lamb ran up and butted Indigo so
that she stumbled forward on her face, when the peacock proceeded to
pound her head with his wings. Indigo, screaming with fright, sprang
to her feet again, but the rabbit ran between her legs and tripped
her up, all the time roaring loudly like a lion, and the dog crowed
triumphantly, as a rooster crows, while the cat warbled noisily and
the lamb chattered and the parrot barked and the peacock screeched
"me-ow!"
Altogether, Indigo was, as Trot said, "scared stiff," and she howled
for help until her sisters ran in and rescued her, pulling her
through the bedchamber into the reception room.
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