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 THE 
 
 GOOD-NATURED BEAR 
 
 A STORY 
 
 FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 JOSEPH CUNDALL,- 12, OLD BOND STREET. 
 
 L846.
 
 LONDON 
 
 PRINTED BY F. SKILL, 
 
 6, HELMET COURT, 
 
 (OPPOSITE SOMERSET HOUSE.I 
 
 8TEAND.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Whatever country this GOOD-NATURED BEAR may 
 claim as the place of his nativity ; whatever parentage 
 he may boast; and whatever spirit, whether national 
 or individual, he may happen to display in the following 
 simple and authentic account of himself; he humbly 
 assures his kind and courteous READERS OF ALL AGES, 
 that he is a citizen of the World, and that this is the 
 first time his Story has ever been made public. 
 
 2017753
 
 The Copyright of this Work is protected by Statute 
 5 # 6 Vic., c. 45.
 
 Cije (^ool^nattireti Bear 
 
 A TALE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 a very neat white house, with blue shutters, 
 in the best street of a pretty German village, about 
 twenty miles from Dresden, a party of children were 
 assembled one Christmas evening. This house, 
 where the merry meeting was held, was the country 
 residence of the celebrated Dr. Littlepump. Nancy, 
 who had such very blue eyes, and her younger bro- 
 ther, little Valentine, were the children of Dr. and 
 Mrs. Littlepump, and they had invited a number 
 of other children to come and spend the evening 
 with them. 
 
 Very happy they all were. They danced to 
 the music of a flute and fiddle, and ran about and 
 sang, and squeaked, and hopped upon one leg, and 
 
 B
 
 4 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 crept upon all fours, and jumped over small cushions 
 and stools, and then they sat down. They all sat 
 in a circle round the stove, and laughed at the fire. 
 
 The stove was red hot in some places, so they were 
 obliged to open its door widely, and then every body 
 saw what a bustle the fire was in, puffing and blazing 
 away inside. On the top of the stove was a large 
 dish of stewed prunes, smoking hot, and all round 
 the dish were chestnuts roasting as fast as ever they 
 could roast, and sometimes cracking and flying over 
 the children's heads in all directions, and sometimes 
 right amongst them, which made a great shouting 
 and scrambling out of the way, and great fun, of 
 course. 
 
 Besides Dr. and Mrs. Littlepump and the children, 
 there were several others in the room to join in the 
 merriment. First, there was the sweet-voiced Gret- 
 chen, with her small but bright brown eyes, the dear 
 pretty nursery governess of Nancy and little Va- 
 lentine. All the children were so fond of her. 
 She was about twenty years of age, and one of 
 the nicest girls in Frolicksdorf. She was seated in 
 the middle of all the children. Then, there was 
 Lydia, the housemaid, and Dorothea, the cook, and 
 Wallis, the gardener, in a new pair of very 
 large spectacles. He was always obliged to wear
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 5 
 
 spectacles, in order to read the Latin names of 
 the plants. 
 
 But we have forgotten to mention one person 
 more who was present, and this one was uncle 
 Abraham. He was the elder brother of Dr. Little- 
 pump, and a Professor of the Mathematics. A very 
 grave silent man was uncle Abraham ; but he was 
 always doing kind things in his quiet way, and every 
 body was extremely fond of him. He was dressed in 
 a long brown coat and long grey woollen gaiters, and 
 wore a small auburn wig, though his own hair used to 
 be flaxen. He sat in one corner of the room, with his 
 elbow resting upon a little round table, smoking a 
 large Dutch pipe, and saying nothing, and not seem- 
 ing to notice anything, nor anybody. He was very 
 busy with his own thoughts, and now and then his 
 eyes gave a twinkle,- as if he was pleased with some- 
 thing in his mind. 
 
 The children now all asked Gretchen to sing a 
 pretty song, which she did at once in her own sweet 
 voice ; but the words were very odd. This was the 
 song : 
 
 There came a rough-faced Stranger 
 
 From the leafless winter woods, 
 And he told of many a danger 
 
 From the snow-storms and black floods. 
 
 B2
 
 6 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 On his back he bore the glory 
 
 Of his brothers, who were left 
 In a secret rocky cleft 
 
 Now guess his name, and story ! 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 . There came a rough-faced Stranger, &c. 
 
 " But who was the rough-faced Stranger ?" asked 
 Nancy ; " and what was the glory he carried pick- 
 a-back ?" cried little Valentine ; " And who were 
 his brothers, and where was the rocky cleft ? " cried 
 three or four more of the children. "And who was? 
 " Where from ? When did he ?" cried all the rest 
 of the children together. " Oh," said Gretchen, 
 " you must guess ! " So all the children began gues- 
 sing away at this song-riddle ; but they could make 
 nothing of it. Gretchen laughed when they all said, 
 " Do tell us ; " and promised to tell them another 
 time. But this only produced more requests to be 
 told now, till, at last, Gretchen said, " Well, I pro- 
 mise to tell you all about the Stranger in half an hour, 
 if nothing happens to make you forget to ask me." 
 " If nothing happens ? " said Nancy ; " Oh, we 
 shall not forget to ask you, whatever happens." 
 " And what should happen ? " asked Dr. Little- 
 pump, in a dignified tone.
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 7 
 
 There was now a silence for a few minutes, as if 
 the children were all thinking, during which, uncle 
 Abraham, who sometimes went to bed very early, 
 slowly rose from his chair, lighted his candle, care- 
 fully snuffed it, (and, as he did so, his eyes gave a 
 twinkle,) and walking round the outside of all the 
 circle, wished them good night, and away he went 
 to bed. 
 
 " But what," said little Valentine, " what should 
 happen, Gretchen, dear ? " 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 It was about eight o'clock in the evening, and the 
 snow lying deep upon the ground, when a stout gen- 
 tleman, in a very rough coat and fur boots, got down 
 from the outside of the Dresden diligence, which 
 had stopped just in front of Dr. Littlepump's door. 
 The large street lamp, that hung in the middle of 
 the street by a chain, fixed to the upper part 
 of the Doctor's house and the upper part of the house
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAE. 
 
 opposite, was a very fine lamp with large reflectors 
 inside, and an ornamental top of Prussian blue and 
 gold. All the children were crowding round the 
 windows in a trice, to look at the diligence, and the 
 gentleman who had got down. 
 
 Besides his very rough coat and fur boots, the chil- 
 dren now perceived that the stout gentleman had 
 also a short cloak, and a pair of large fur gloves, and 
 that he wore a white hunting hat, with the usual 
 round crown and broad brim, but with an uncom- 
 monly handsome green cord and tassel. The hat 
 was pulled down almost over his eyes, so that his 
 face could not be seen, and he had an immense 
 orange-coloured woollen comforter round his throat, 
 which the yellow gleam of the lamp shone upon. 
 
 The diligence now drove on, and left the stout 
 gentleman standing in the middle of the street. It 
 was a fine clear winter's night, but he had, no 
 doubt, found it very cold travelling outside, not- 
 withstanding his rough coat, his fur boots and gloves, 
 his short cloak, and his orange comforter. 
 
 The stout gentleman first shook the snow from his 
 cloak, on the shoulder of which much snow had col- 
 lected, and he made it fly about on all sides as he 
 shook himself. After this, he began to stamp with 
 his feet to warm them, and it looked like a clumsy
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 9 
 
 dance in a little circle, which made all the children 
 laugh. The next thing he did was to give himself 
 a good rubbing on the breast, and he did it in so 
 awkward a way, that it had all the appearance of a 
 great clumsy paw of some creature giving itself a 
 scratch ; and though the children thought, of course, 
 that this clumsiness was only in consequence of the 
 very thick sleeves of the rough coat, which would 
 not allow the gentleman's arms and hands to move 
 with ease and grace, still it looked so funny that 
 the children laughed louder than before. They 
 were almost afraid he would hear it through the 
 windows. The next thing the stout gentleman did 
 was to draw forth an immense pocket handkerchief 
 of bright grass green, with a broad crimson border, 
 and with this he began to dust his nose, to knock 
 off the sleet and frostwork, and also to rub and 
 warm his nose, which seemed to be very large and 
 long, and to require great attention. 
 
 When the children saw the gentleman do this, 
 they could contain themselves no longer, but all 
 burst out into a loud shout of laughter. 
 
 The stout gentleman instantly stopped, and began 
 to look around him in all directions, to see where 
 the laughing came from. The children all ceased 
 laughing, and became suddenly quiet. The stout
 
 10 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 gentleman turned round and round, looking up and 
 down at the windows of every house near him; 
 till at last, his eyes rested upon the three parlour 
 windows of Dr. Littlepump's house, which were 
 crowded with faces. No sooner had he done this, 
 than he advanced towards the house with a long 
 stride and an angry air. 
 
 In an instant all the children ran away from the 
 window, crying out, " Here he conies ! here he 
 comes ! " 
 
 Presently a scraping was heard upon the steps of 
 the door, and then a loud knock ! The children all 
 ran to their seats and sat quite silent, looking at each 
 other. Dr. Littlepump walked twice across the 
 room with a serious face, and then stood still, look- 
 ing down upon the floor. Not a word was spoken. 
 Gretchen covered her face with her handkerchief, 
 and Lydia, Dorothea, and Wallis, who were sitting 
 huddled up almost behind the iron pipe of the stove, 
 all pretended to be warming their hands. None of 
 them liked to go to open the door. The room was 
 so silent you might almost have heard a feather fall. 
 Now came a louder knock ! Then another ! And 
 then a ringing of the bell ! 
 
 " I am sorry," observed Mrs. Littlepump, " that 
 the stout gentleman is so much offended."
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 11 
 
 " I don't know very well what to say to him," 
 said Dr. Littlepump. 
 
 Again came the ringing at the bell ! 
 
 " Lydia," said Dr. Littlepump, " you must open 
 the door, I fancy." 
 
 "Dorothea," said Lydia, looking affectionately 
 at the cook, " do just go to the door." 
 
 " Wallis," said Dorothea, looking affectionately 
 at the gardener, " you know how many a nice baked 
 potatoe I have given you, before and after dinner ; 
 do just open the door." Wallis took off his specta- 
 cles, and sat with his mouth open. 
 
 Again came the ringing at the bell, and a knock- 
 ing at the same time. 
 
 " Somebody," exclaimed Dr. Littlepump, ex- 
 tending both hands, as if in the act of addressing 
 a large assembly, " Somebody must go ! " 
 
 Upon this, Gretchen rose. " Oh, don't you go, 
 Gretchen, dearest," cried little Val. ; " let Wallis 
 go." But Gretchen promised to run away as soon 
 as she had opened the door, and with this assurance 
 she was allowed to go ; both Nancy and Valentine 
 continuing to call after her, " Be sure to run back 
 to us as fast as ever you can ! "
 
 12 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The children sat listening with all their ears, sit- 
 ting as still as mice who think they hear something. 
 Presently they did hear something. It was the 
 snap of the lock, the creaking of the door, and a 
 scrambling noise ! The scrambling noise was made 
 by Gretchen, who came running back into the room 
 quite out of breath, crying, " Oh, such a nose ! 
 such a dirty face ! don't ask me anything ! " 
 
 There was no time for any questions, a slow, 
 heavy footstep was heard in the hall then in the 
 passage then the parlour door opened wide, and in 
 walked the stout gentleman with the rough coat ! 
 He had, indeed, a prodigious nose, both long and 
 broad, and as dark as the shadow of a hill. He 
 advanced only a pace or two into the room, and 
 then stood still, looking at Dr. Littlepump, who was 
 the only other person who ventured to stand up.
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 13 
 
 " I believe I have the honour," said the stout 
 gentleman, making a low bow, but without taking 
 off his hunting hat or comforter "I believe I have 
 the honour of addressing no less a person than Mr. 
 Dr. Littlepump, chief Counsellor to the Austrian 
 Branch of the Tommy Mines of Seringapatam ! " 
 
 Dr. Littlepump bowed. He held the office of 
 Counsellor to a Board of Mines in Vienna, where 
 he made a speech now and then in the summer 
 months. The strange gentleman's designation of 
 his post, was not quite correct, nor did the Doctor 
 even know, what a " Tommy mine," might be ; 
 however, he thought it best not to interrupt. 
 
 " If," continued the stout gentleman, " if I had 
 not known it was impossible, that so learned a 
 Counsellor could deliberately allow anybody to be 
 insulted from the windows of his country-house, I 
 should have felt myself extremely indignant upon the 
 present very serious occasion. It may have produced 
 merriment to our young friends here ; but it is 
 a serious thing to me." 
 
 " Sir," said Dr. Littlepump, recovering his usual 
 composure, " it grieves me excessively, that your 
 feelings should have been hurt by the laughter of 
 my children, and their little friends ; but, Sir, I can 
 assure you no harm was meant by it in fact, they
 
 14 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 did not intend to laugh only it happened. More- 
 over, this is holiday time, and though you appear to 
 be a foreign gentleman, yet you are, no doubt, also 
 a gentleman, who has seen much of the world, and 
 of society " 
 
 " No, Sir ; no, Mr. Doctor," exclaimed the stout 
 gentleman, clasping his fur gloves together, and 
 speaking in a melancholy voice, " I have not seen 
 much of society ; it is true, too true, that I am a fo- 
 reigner, in some respects, but from society, the mis- 
 fortune of my birth has excluded me." 
 
 " Oh, pray, Sir, do not concern yourself any 
 further on this matter," said Mrs. Littlepump, in a 
 courteous voice, " a gentleman of your good feeling 
 and polished address, can need no further introduc- 
 tion. I hope you will accept all our apologies." 
 
 " Madam," said the stout gentleman, " you are 
 too kind. It is such very amiable persons as your- 
 self, that reconcile me to my species 1 mean, to 
 
 the human species. What have I said ? how do 
 I constantly betray myself! Not of my species, 
 would I willingly speak. But in truth, Madam, it 
 is my own consciousness of what I am, under 
 my coat, that makes me always fear my secret has 
 been discovered. I thought the children, with their 
 little quick eyes, always looking about, had seen
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 15 
 
 who it was that lived under this rough coat I 
 wear." So saving, the stout gentleman put one of 
 his fur gloves to his left eye, and wiped away 
 a large tear. 
 
 " Then pray, Sir," continued Mrs. Littlepump, 
 " do take off your coat, and let me beg of you to 
 let our gardener relieve you of your short cloak 
 and fur boots. Lay your fur gloves, also, aside, 
 and permit us to have the pleasure of seeing you 
 take a seat among us round the stove." 
 
 " Oh, ye green woods, dark nights, and rocky 
 caves hidden with hanging weeds, why do I so 
 well remember ye ! " exclaimed the stout gentle- 
 man, again clasping his fur gloves together. " I will 
 relieve my mind and tell you all. My rough coat 
 companion of my childhood, and which has grown 
 with my growth I cannot lay aside. It grows to 
 my skin, Madam. My fur gloves are nature's gift. 
 They were bought at no shop, Mrs. Littlepump. 
 My fur boots are as much a part of me as my beard. 
 I cannot shave my feet, most respected and excellent 
 married lady. I am, indeed, a foreigner, as to 
 society. I was born in no city, town, or village, 
 nor in a bed ; but in a cave full of dry leaves and 
 soft twigs. I left my native place, owing to a 
 domestic calamity ; I applied myself very hard to
 
 16 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 study, till at last, by various means which I cannot 
 now explain, I acquired the art of speaking the 
 German language ; but the truth is, I am not a 
 man but a Bear ! " 
 
 As he uttered these words, the stout gentleman 
 took off his orange-coloured comforter, his short 
 coat, and his hat and sure enough a Bear he was, 
 and one of the largest that ever \vas seen ! 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 In a very soft voice, so as scarcely to be heard 
 by any one, except the children who had crowded 
 round her, Gretchen began to sing, 
 
 " There came a rough-faced Stranger 
 From the leafless winter woods." 
 
 When the children heard Gretchen sing, and 
 ventured to look up at the Bear, who continued to 
 stand in a disconsolate attitude near the door, and 
 without the least signs of anything savage in his
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 17 
 
 appearance or behaviour, their fear began to 
 change into curiosity. Two of the youngest had 
 hidden themselves in the folds of Mrs. Littlepump's 
 dress, and little Val. had crept under the table ; but 
 when these found that nothing was going to hap- 
 pen, and that the other children did not cry out or 
 seem terrified, first they peeped out at the Bear, 
 till gradually, and at about the seventh peep, they 
 all three left their hiding places and crowded in 
 among the rest all looking at the Bear ! 
 
 " I trust," said Dr. Littlepump, after a minute's 
 reflection, "I trust that this discovery this casting 
 off all disguise produces no change in the nature 
 and habits you have acquired in civilized commu- 
 nities. It is impossible to think so. I feel sure 
 that I am addressing a " gentleman," that is to 
 say, a most gentlemanly specimen of your species." 
 
 " Banish all unkind suspicions from your breast, 
 Mr. Doctor," said the Bear; " neither you, nor any 
 of those I see around, ever need apprehend a single 
 rude hug from me, such as many of my ancestors 
 were too apt to give. But when I give a hug, it is 
 only in the manner of the best-bred people of the 
 time." As the Bear said this, he cast a tender look 
 sideways at Dorothea ; and the thought of receiv- 
 ing such a mark of regard from the Bear, made her
 
 18 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 face turn white and red by turns, and then a little 
 blue. 
 
 "Oh, we feel quite satisfied," said Mrs. Little- 
 pump, with her most courteous smile, "that your 
 conduct will be of the very best kind. Pray take 
 a seat, near the fire. The children will all make 
 room for you." 
 
 She had scarcely uttered the last words when the 
 children all made room enough in a trice, and more 
 than enough, as they crowded back as far as they 
 could, and left a large open circle opposite the 
 stove. 
 
 The Bear laid one paw upon his grateful breast, 
 and advanced towards the fire-place. 
 
 " Permit me," said he, " to begin with warming 
 my nose." As the door of the stove was now 
 closed, the Bear bent his head down, and moved 
 his nose backwards and forwards in a sort of semi- 
 circle, seeming to enjoy it very much. " As my 
 nose," said he, " is very long, the tip of it must 
 necessarily be the first part that gets cold, because 
 it is so far off from my face, where the circulation 
 of the blood is rendered sufficiently quick and 
 warm by the comfortable thickness of my beard. 
 My nose, I fear, may not seem a well-shaped one, 
 but it is a capital smeller. I used to be able, when
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 19 
 
 at the distance of several miles, to smell ahem ! " 
 And here the Bear checked himself suddenly. He 
 was evidently going to say something of his life at 
 home in the woods that would not be thought very 
 nice in Dr. Littlcpump's parlour. But he just 
 caught himself up in time. In doing this, however, 
 his confusion at the moment had made him neglect 
 to observe that a part of the stove was again red 
 hot ; so that approaching too closely, he all at once 
 burnt the tip of his nose ! 
 
 The children would certainly have laughed, but 
 as the Bear started back, he immediately looked 
 round the room. So everybody was afraid to laugh. 
 It was evident that the nose he had been boasting 
 of so much could not smell fire. 
 
 " I hope, Sir," said Mrs. Littlepump, wishing to 
 relieve the Bear from his embarrassment, " I hope 
 you did not hear any noise in the street to disturb 
 you ? The music in the streets of Frolicksdorf is 
 not always equal to that of the opera at Berlin. 
 You have, no doubt, a very fine and highly-culti- 
 vated ear." 
 
 " I have, Madam," said the Bear, " a pair of 
 ears very much of the kind you are so obliging as 
 to describe ; though I am too well aware that they 
 are rather of the largest as to size." 
 
 c
 
 20 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 " By no means too large, Sir, to be graceful as 
 well as useful," observed Mrs. Littlepump, with a 
 gentle waving of the hand. 
 
 " The slightest good opinion is valuable," replied 
 the Bear, " when it is entertained by so wise and 
 good a lady as the wife of Mr. Dr. Littlepump." 
 
 " No opinion could be too high, I am sure," re- 
 joined the lady, "for a person of such fine attain- 
 ments who has so much good sense, and who 
 speaks the German language with such elegance 
 and accuracy." 
 
 " If the whole world," exclaimed the Bear, "were 
 hunted through and through, I am convinced we 
 should never find any other lady so capable of 
 judging of all excellences, and so amiable in speak- 
 ing graciously to one of the humblest of her ser- 
 vants, as Lady Littlepump ! " 
 
 "We shall be proud, Sir," said the Doctor's 
 lady, rising from her chair, " to place in the list, 
 not of our mere acquaintances, but of our most 
 particular friends, so accomplished, so modest, so 
 polite, and so very handsome a Bear ! " 
 
 As Mrs. Littlepump finished this last speech, the 
 Bear looked at her for a moment with the most 
 delighted and grateful expression of countenance; 
 he then made three great steps backwards slowly
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 21 
 
 extended the right leg to one side as far as he could, 
 pointing his toe then slowly drew the left leg 
 close to it, till both heels touched, and the toes 
 were properly turned out and made a profound 
 bow. His bow was so very low, and he remained 
 with his head down, and his nose pointing to the 
 floor, so very long, that all the children were ready 
 to die with laughter, more especially as they were 
 obliged to keep the laugh in, for fear of giving fresh 
 offence. As for little Val., he fell upon the floor 
 with keeping his laugh in, and there he lay kicking ; 
 and as for Gretchen, who had covered her face with 
 her handkerchief, she was heard to give a sort of 
 little scream ; and as for Nancy, she had run to the 
 sofa, and covered her head with one of the pillows ; 
 they all found it so difficult to help bursting into a 
 peal of laughter. 
 
 At length, the Bear raised his head with a coun- 
 tenance that looked most amiable, even through all 
 that rough hair, and turning to Dr. Littlepump, 
 he said, 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Doctor ! " And after a little pause of 
 emotion he continued thus : " Mr. Dr. Littlepump, 
 the extreme kindness of this reception of one who 
 is a stranger a foreigner and, moreover, of a 
 different race from yourselves though of a kindred 
 
 c 2
 
 22 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 heart, I humbly flatter my heart has won upon 
 my feeling so much, that I find myself disposed, 
 if you will permit me, to confide all my secrets 
 to you. I propose to tell you the whole story 
 of my life. It contains several points of novel 
 interest." 
 
 At this speech, everybody looked anxiously at 
 the Bear, and at each other, and everybody was 
 in a great state of curiosity, and bustled about 
 from one to the other, saying, " Oh, let him tell 
 us ! let him tell us ! do let us hear the Bear's 
 story!" 
 
 It was agreed upon, with many thanks, from Dr. 
 and Mrs. Littlepump. So they placed a large chair 
 for the Bear in the middle of the room, and the 
 Doctor taking down Uncle Abraham's Dutch pipe 
 from its nail on the wall, filled it with the very 
 best Turkey tobacco, and handed it to the Bear. 
 After carefully lighting it, and taking a few whiffs, 
 and reflecting a little, the Bear thus addressed 
 them.
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 23 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 " I am a native of Poland, and was born in one 
 of the largest and most comfortable caves in the 
 forest of Towskipowski. My father and mother 
 were greatly respected by all the inhabitants of the 
 forest, and were, in fact, regarded, not only by all 
 their own species, but by every other animal, as 
 persons of some consequence. I do not mention 
 this little circumstance from any pride, but only out 
 of filial affection for their memory. 
 
 My father was a man of a proud and resentful 
 my father, I meant to say, was a, person, of a proud 
 and resentful disposition, though of the greatest 
 courage and honour; but my mother was one in 
 whom all the qualities of the fairer, or at least, the 
 softer sex, were united. I shall never forget the 
 patience, the gentleness, the skill, and the firmness
 
 24 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 with which she first taught me to walk alone. I 
 mean to walk on all fours, of course ; the upright 
 manner of my present walking, was only learned 
 afterwards. As this infant effort, however, is one 
 of my very earliest recollections, I have men- 
 tioned it before all the rest, and if you please, I will 
 give you a little account of it." 
 
 " Oh ! do, Mr. Bear," cried Gretchen, and no 
 sooner had she uttered the words, than all the chil- 
 dren cried out at the same time. " Oh ! please do, 
 Sir," The Bear took several long whiffs at his pipe, 
 and thus continued 
 
 "My mother took me to a retired part of the forest, 
 where few animals ever came, and telling me that I 
 must now stand alone, extended both paws, and 
 slowly lowered me towards the earth. The height 
 as I looked down, seemed terrible, and I felt my legs 
 kick in the air with fear of I did not know what, 
 till suddenly I felt four hard things, and no motion. 
 It was the fixed earth beneath my four infant legs. 
 ' Now,' said my mother, ' you are what is called 
 standing alone ! ' But what she said I heard as in 
 a dream. With my back in the air, as though it 
 rested on a wooden trussel, with my nose poking 
 out straight, snuffing the fresh breeze, and the 
 many scents of the woods, my ears pricking and
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 25 
 
 shooting with all sorts of new sounds, to wonder at, 
 to want to have, to love, or to tumble down at, 
 and my eves staring before me full of light, and con- 
 fused gold, and dancing things, I seemed to be in a 
 condition over which I had no power to effect the 
 least change, and in which I must remain fixed till 
 some wonderful thing happened. But the firm voice 
 of my mother came to my assistance, and I heard her 
 tell me to look upon the earth beneath me, and see 
 where I was. First I looked up among the boughs, 
 then sideways at my shoulder, then I squinted at 
 the tip of my nose all by mistake and innocence 
 at last, I bent my nose in despair, and saw my 
 fore paws standing, and this of course was right. 
 The first thing that caught my attention, being the 
 first thing I saw distinctly, was a little blue flower 
 with a bright jewel in the middle, which I afterwards 
 found was a drop of dew. Sometimes I thought this 
 little blue darling was so close that it almost touched 
 my eyes ; and certainly the odour of it was up in my 
 head ; sometimes I thought it was deep down, a 
 long way off. When I bent my face towards it to 
 give it a kiss, it seemed just where it was, though I 
 had not done what I had thought to do. 
 
 The next thing I saw upon the ground was a 
 soft-looking little creature, that crawled along
 
 26 THE GOOD-XATURED BEAR. 
 
 with a round ball upon the middle of its back, of a 
 beautiful white colour, with brown and red curling 
 stripes. The creature moved very, very slowly, 
 and appeared always to follow the opinion and ad- 
 vice of two long horns on its head, that went feeling 
 about on all sides. Presently it slowly approached 
 my right fore paw, and I wondered how I should feel, 
 or smell, or hear it, as it went over my toes ; but 
 the instant one of the horns touched the hair of my 
 paw, both horns shrunk into nothing, and presently 
 came out again, and the creature slowly moved 
 away in another direction. While I was wondering 
 at this strange proceeding for I never thought of 
 hurting the creature, not knowing how to hurt 
 anything, and what should have made the horn 
 fancy otherwise while, then, I was wondering at 
 this, my attention was suddenly drawn to a tuft 
 of moss on my right near a hollow tree-trunk. Out 
 of this green tuft, looked a pair of very bright, 
 round, small eyes, which were staring up at me. 
 
 If I had known how to walk, I should have 
 stepped back a few steps when I saw those bright 
 little eyes, but I never ventured to lift a paw from 
 the earth, since my mother had first set me down, 
 nor did I know how to do so, or what were the 
 proper thoughts or motions to begin with. So I
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 2< 
 
 stood looking at the eyes ; and presently I saw 
 that the head was yellow, and all the face and 
 throat yellow, and that it had a large mouth. 
 ' What you have just seen,' said my mother, ' we 
 call a snail; and what you now see is a frog.' 
 The names, however, did not help me at all to 
 understand. Why the first should have turned from 
 my paw so suddenly, and why this creature should 
 continue to stare up at me in such a manner I 
 could not conceive. I expected, however, that it 
 would soon come slowly crawling forth, and then 
 I should see whether it would also avoid me in the 
 same manner. I now observed that its body and 
 breast were double somehow, and that its paws 
 were very large for its size, but had no hair upon 
 them, which I thought was probably occasioned by 
 its slow crawling having rubbed it all off. I 
 had scarcely made these observations and reflec- 
 tions, when a beam of bright light breaking through 
 the trees, the creature suddenly gave a great hop 
 right up under my nose, and I, thinking the world 
 was at an end, instantly fell flat down on one side, 
 and lay there waiting ! " 
 
 At this all the children set up a laugh, and 
 Nancy and Val. were so delighted, that they threw 
 their arms about each other's necks, and danced
 
 28 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 round and round. The Bear laughed too a little, 
 but he soon resumed his gravity and proceeded. 
 
 " I tell you these things," said he, " in as clear a 
 manner as I can, that you may rightly understand 
 them ; but at that time they were by no means so 
 clear to me, nor can I well tell you how strange, 
 and confused, and beautiful, and wonderful, and 
 delightful, and overcoming, everything seemed to 
 me. My dear mother caught me up in her arms, 
 saying, 'Oh, thou small bear ! and hast thou fallen 
 flat down, on first seeing a frog hop ? ' ' 
 
 The next day my mother gave me my first lesson 
 in walking, as she considered that I had stood alone 
 very well, and should not have fallen but for the 
 accident of the sun beam and the frog. She took 
 me to a nice smooth sandy place in the forest, not 
 far from home, and setting me down carefully, 
 said " Walk ! " But I remained just where I 
 was! 
 
 If a child with only two legs feels puzzled which 
 leg it should move first, and how ; or if it should 
 move both together, and how, whether by a jump 
 or a slide; judge of the multiplied puzzles of a 
 young bear under such circumstances. ' Shall I,' 
 said I to myself, or at least I felt as if I said so 
 ' shall I move my right front paw first, or my left ;
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 20 
 
 or my right hind leg, or my left? Shall I first 
 move the two front legs both at the same time, 
 and then the two hind legs ? or my two hind legs 
 first, and then my two front legs ? Should I move 
 the right front leg, and the right hind leg at the 
 same time ; or the left front leg and the right hind 
 leg? Shall I try to move all four at once, and 
 how, and which way ? Or shall I move three legs 
 at once, in order to push myself on, while one leg 
 remains for me to balance my body upon ; and if 
 so, which three legs should move, and which one 
 should be the leg to balance upon ? Amidst all 
 these confusing thoughts and feelings common to 
 all young bears, and many other quadrupeds, no 
 doubt, but which the generations of mankind now 
 hear of for the first time I was afraid to move in 
 any way whatever, and I believe I should have 
 been standing there to this day, had not my 
 mother, with a slow bowing and bending motion 
 of the head and back bone, gracefully passed and 
 repassed me several times, saying ' So, child ! 
 leave off thinking, and walk ! ' 
 
 My mother was right : directly I left off think- 
 ing about it, I found myself walking. O, what a 
 wonderful and clever young gentleman I felt my- 
 self ! I went ploughing along with such a serious
 
 30 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 face upon the ground ! I soon ran my head against 
 one or two trees and a bit of rock, each of which 
 I saw very well before I did so ; only I thought 
 they would get out of my way, or slip aside, or that 
 my head would go softly through them ; my mother, 
 therefore, took me up and carried me, till we arrived 
 within a short distance of our cave. In front of it 
 there was a large space of high green grass, through 
 which a regular path had been worn by the feet of 
 my father and mother, who always liked to keep in 
 the path as it was an old habit. At the beginning 
 of this path, my mother placed me on the ground, 
 and told me I must walk to the cave, along the path- 
 way, all by myself. This was a great task for me ; 
 I thought I should never be able to keep in such a 
 narrow line, and felt giddy as I looked first on one 
 side, then on the other, expecting every instant to 
 tumble over into the high green grass, on the right 
 or left, and be drowned, or sink and roll away into 
 some other state of existence. However, I ma- 
 naged to get to the cave without any accident. 
 
 As the Bear finished the last sentence, he sud- 
 denly rose, and drew out from beneath a thick 
 tuft of hair on his right side, a very large watch, 
 with a broad gold face and a tortoiseshell back. 
 " I must go ! " said he, hurrying on his short cloak,
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 31 
 
 his wide-brimmed hunter's hat, and his orange- 
 coloured comforter ; "I must bustle away as fast 
 as I can, for it is nearly ten o'clock, and before I 
 go to bed, I have a letter to write to a merchant 
 in Cologne, concerning the purchase of a number of 
 skins of red morocco leather, and another letter to 
 my bookseller in Leipzig, concerning a second edi- 
 tion of a little work of mine, on the management 
 of bees and silkworms. But I will come again to- 
 morrow night and conclude my story. Mrs. Little- 
 pump, I am your respectful and grateful humble 
 servant! Mr. Dr. Littlepump, I am also your's! 
 Good night to you, Miss Nancy, and to you little 
 Val., and to you, pretty Miss Gretchen, and to all 
 my young friends, and all the rest. May you all 
 sleep well, and with happy dreams ! " 
 
 "Good night! " cried all the children in a loud 
 chorus. "Oh, be sure to come to-morrow evening! " 
 " Good night, Mr. Bear ! " cried everybody, while 
 the stout gentleman bustled, and hustled, and 
 rustled, and scuffled out of the room, and along the 
 passage, and out of the street door, and into the 
 street, where he was soon lost sight of amidst the 
 snow which was now falling very fast.
 
 32 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 The next evening, about dusk, all the children 
 who had been visiting Nancy and Valentine, came 
 again in a troop, scrambling and crowding at the 
 door to get in first. They were so anxious to hear 
 the remainder of the Bear's story. As they all 
 came pell-mell into the room, they cried out " Is 
 he come ? when will he come ? " 
 
 Dr. Littlepump walked up and down the room 
 with an air of serious anxiety ; calm to all appear- 
 ance, yet evidently with much upon his mind. 
 Mrs. Littlepump also expressed more than once a 
 hope that no accident might happen on the road to 
 prevent the arrival of Mr. Bear. Gretchen now 
 became very anxious and fidgetty, and often looked 
 very anxious at Uncle Abraham, as though she was 
 a little vexed at his indifference about the event
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 33 
 
 in which everybody else took so much interest. 
 Dorothea, and Lydia, and Wallis, all said they, for 
 their parts, had been unable to sleep all last night 
 for thinking of the stout gentleman's story. But 
 nothing of all this seemed to move the Professor of 
 Mathematics, who sat smoking his Dutch pipe, and 
 twinkling his eyes, as if he was too much amused 
 with his own thoughts to care about anything else. 
 Presently, however, the clock struck five, and he 
 rose from his chair, saying he must go and make a 
 little visit a few doors off before he went to bed. 
 They all begged him very hard to stay and see Mr. 
 Bear, but he shook his head, and said " Pooh ! " and 
 walked away. Gretchen looked so pleased when he 
 was gone, but the children said it was very naughty 
 of dear Uncle Abraham not to stay. 
 
 Gretchen now proposed a little game to amuse 
 them till Mr. Bear arrived. This was agreed upon, 
 and they began ; but they did not attend to it, 
 their minds were too much occupied with expec- 
 tation. Mrs. Littlepump then proposed a dance. 
 This answered much better. Mrs. Littlepump 
 played upon the piano-forte, and was accompanied 
 on the flute by the Doctor, whose attitudes in 
 performing on that elegant instrument had always 
 been considered well worth seeing. In a short
 
 34 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 time, however, the children stopped and would 
 dance no more, and went to their seats and sat 
 silently, and everybody became dreadfully dull. 
 Two little boys were very cross ; one of them bit 
 his own thumb, to find an excuse for crying, and 
 the other gave the leg of the table a kick, and 
 called it a "a naughty table." 
 
 " Oh ! " cried little Yal., " I do hope the Gentle- 
 man Bear will be sure to come ! " As he said this, 
 they very plainly heard the sound of a horse's hoof 
 coming up the street, and all ran to the windows. 
 What was their surprise and delight to see that it 
 was the Bear on horseback ! 
 
 He rode with rather a round back, and his stir- 
 rups very short, but in other respects he sat well, 
 like a portly gentleman on a journey, and held the 
 reins with a great air of consequence. His method 
 of dismounting, however, was not graceful. As the 
 horse stopped before Dr. Littlepump's door, the 
 stout gentleman in the rough coat bent forward and 
 threw his arms with a good hug round the horse's 
 neck, and so let himself slowly down, hanging care- 
 fully till his fur boots touched the ground. At this, 
 all the children burst out laughing ; but instantly 
 recollecting themselves, they ran away from the 
 windows, and scrambled into seats round the stove,
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 35 
 
 coughing a little, to pretend it had been only that. 
 And now a knock was heard at the door, and a 
 loud ring ! Gretchen ran and opened the door, and 
 in came the Bear. 
 
 Everybody was so glad to see him. Wallis and 
 Gretchen helped him to take off his cloak and com- 
 forter; Mrs. Littlepump begged him to take a 
 seat near the stove ; Dorothea presented him with a 
 large cup of nice coffee, hot and strong, and very 
 sweet, and Dr. Littlepump, with a dignified and 
 most courtly air, handed him Uncle Abraham's 
 pipe at least he thought he had done so, but in the 
 confusion of the moment, he handed him his own 
 flute instead, without observing what he had done. 
 The Bear received it with a bow, and was so polite 
 that he would not notice the mistake, but pretended 
 to smoke the flute, till it was exchanged for the 
 pipe by Mrs. Littlepump with a thousand apologies 
 for the Doctor's absence of mind. 
 
 Everybody being now comfortably settled, and 
 the general anxiety being very great, the Bear rose 
 from his chair, and bowing all round, looked at Dr. 
 Littlepump, and said, "Mr. Dr. Littlepump, let 
 me know what is the wish of our young friends 
 here?" "Oh, Mr. Good-natured Bear!" cried 
 Nancy, unable to contain herself, " do prmj con- 
 tinue your delightful story ! " i>
 
 36 THE GOODrNATURED BEAR. 
 
 The Bear laid one paw upon his heart, bowed, 
 sat down and after looking thoughtfully into the 
 bowl of his pipe for a few minutes, as if to collect 
 his ideas, thus proceeded : 
 
 " At the foot of our cave, there was, as I have in- 
 formed you, a plot of high green grass with a path 
 through it up to the entrance ; and at the back of 
 the rock in which our cave was, there grew several 
 fine old oak trees, together with a great number of 
 young elms, all promising to become very tall and 
 beautiful. My father was very fond of walking 
 alone among those trees, where he often meditated 
 with his head on one side for hours together, some- 
 times leaning one shoulder against an oak trunk, 
 sometimes resting his nose upon a knot in the wood, 
 and occasionally scratching his ear with it. He 
 thought he was thinking. But my father's chief 
 merit was in his honest, ardent, earnest, and deter- 
 mined character ; in intellect he was not equal to 
 my mother. 
 
 " One afternoon my father was taking a nap on 
 our bed of leaves in the cave, when he was roused 
 by a noise at the back of the rock, among the trees. 
 The sound was that of a succession of hard blows. 
 My father went to see what it was, and there he 
 saw a woodman with an axe cutting down the young
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 37 
 
 elms. Mj father ran towards him in a perfect rage, 
 and the man instantly scampered away as fast as he 
 could, crying O ! ! O ! 
 
 " The next morning as soon as it was light, the 
 same noise was heard again among the trees. Up 
 jumped my father, but my mother, fearing some 
 danger, went with him, and it was fortunate she did, 
 as the woodman had brought his two sons with 
 loaded guns to watch for my father, while the wood- 
 man was at work. My mother saw the two youths 
 hiding each behind a large tree, and she persuaded 
 my father, both for her sake and mine, to come away, 
 which he at last did, though not without much 
 gruffness and grumbling indignation. 
 
 " By the evening, the woodman had cut down 
 about a third part of the young elms, and went away, 
 intending to come and carry them off in the morn- 
 ing. My mother tried to persuade my father not to 
 interfere, because it was too near our home. But 
 my father refused to see the danger to our home, 
 and declared that the nearness of the trees to our 
 cave, was the very reason why he could not endure 
 the thought of their being cut down. They were 
 his trees, and he could not bear to lose them. So 
 at night he went and collected all the trees that 
 were cut down, and carried them in his arms, one or 
 
 D2
 
 38 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 two at a time, according to their size to a river at a 
 short distance where the current was strong, and 
 threw them in with a great splash. Long before morn- 
 ing the current had carried them all far away. 
 
 " The next day the woodman came with his two 
 sons, and a team of horses and ropes, to drag the 
 trees away. But there was not one to be seen ! 
 After wondering, and sitting under an oak, and 
 looking very stupid for an hour, the woodman again 
 went to work with his axe, sending one son back 
 with the horses, as they were wanted for the plough. 
 
 " In the evening, the woodman went away as 
 before, leaving the trees, and thinking no one would 
 steal them a second time. But at night my father 
 went as before, and threw them all in the current. 
 In the morning, the woodman came again with the 
 team. 'What!' cried he, 'all gone again! it 
 must be the work of some fairy thieves could never 
 carry away clean out of sight all those heavy young 
 trees unless indeed it were the Forty Thieves, for 
 it would need as many.' 
 
 " Again the woodman cut down the trees, and 
 now there was not an elm left standing. He went 
 away in the evening as before, leaving the trees 
 upon the ground. My father was sallying out to 
 carry them off in the same way as hitherto, when 
 my mother said ' On no account, Benjamin, (we
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 39 
 
 always spoke in the Bear language, you know, and 
 not as I talk to you,) on no account, Benjamin, go 
 to-night ! ' But my father said that the unfeeling 
 rascal had cut down all his young elms, and the next 
 thing would be, that he would cut down his oaks 
 and he could not endure it. ' But this is by no 
 means certain,' reasoned my mother, ' he seems only 
 to want elms. And at the worst, we could find 
 another cave with oaks near it/ ' But not with 
 oaks, and a nice river too ! ' exclaimed my father. 
 
 " ' Then,' said my mother, ' I and the child, 
 (meaning me,) must go with you, and help to do it 
 as quick as possible, and after it is done, we will go 
 and sleep for a few nights in the forest over the 
 northern hills, for my mind is very uneasy about 
 matters/ My father laughed and said, ' Gooffzugdt,' 
 which, in the Bear language of Poland, signifies 
 Nonsense ! 
 
 " Accordingly we all went and worked away at 
 a great rate, my father and mother carrying the 
 largest of the young trees, and I such of the smallest 
 as my tender years would allow. By midnight we 
 had just finished, and my father was carrying the 
 last tree, when suddenly a shout was heard, and we 
 saw a flash of torches ! The trees had been seen float- 
 ing down the stream, by some men who were coming
 
 40 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 to watch for the thieves, or to see if it was the work 
 of fairies. * Cross the stream, higher up,' said my 
 mother, ' and make for the northern hills ! ' saying 
 which, she seized me by one ear in her mouth, and 
 lugged me along till we came to the banks, and 
 instantly soused me into the water. As I sank, I 
 gave myself up for lost, though I was sure my 
 mother knew what was best for me. When I came 
 to the surface, however, thinking it was some other 
 life, I instantly felt my ear again in my mother's 
 warm mouth, and we soon landed on the other side. 
 My father was not with us ; we took it for granted, 
 he had run in some other direction, probably to con- 
 fuse the pursuers, and would rejoin us shortly. 
 
 " The shouts, however, followed us, and so did the 
 men with their torches. My mother never once 
 looked behind, but ran lugging me along by one 
 ear, through fields and woods, up hill and down 
 dale, till I lost my senses one after the other, and as 
 the last sense was going which was the sense of 
 feeling or touch I believed it was death, and tried 
 to say ' Good bye, mother ! let go my ear, and save 
 yourself!" but as I tried to say so, I fainted away. 
 
 " When I came to myself, I was lying among 
 some warm leaves under thick bushes. But my 
 father had not joined us. We never saw my poor 
 father more.
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 41 
 
 u I mentioned that, when the woodman and the 
 villagers, whom he had collected, had first surprised 
 us, my father was in the act of carrying the last tree 
 away ; and such was his earnest devotion to one idea 
 at a time, and such his obstinacy of character, that 
 he actually would not throw away the heavy tree he 
 was carrying, but ran with it, even when the pur- 
 suers were close behind him, till arriving at the 
 bank, he threw it in, and then endeavoured to save 
 himself by swimming across, in order to follow us. 
 But it was too late. They threw ropes over him 
 while he was in the water, and half drowned my 
 poor father, so that when at last he was landed on 
 the other side, he was unable to make the great, 
 the prodigious resistance he had so much relied 
 upon. He was taken prisoner, and carried bound 
 hand and foot into the village, amidst the blaze of 
 torches, the shouts of the men, the barking of dogs, 
 and the cries of wonder and curiosity of the women 
 and children, who jumped out of bed to see him pass. 
 Several children ran into the streets in their night- 
 caps and nightgowns, and cried out. 
 
 Look at the Bear, who stole the trees, 
 And pitched them into the wa-ter!
 
 42 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 CHAPTEK VII. 
 
 Dr. Littlepump rose from his chair, and extended 
 one hand like a gentleman or senator about to 
 make a fine speech, while with the thumb of his 
 other hand he touched his forehead, to indicate 
 wisdom. " I am of opinion," said he, " that men 
 and bears, who give their whole minds up to one 
 thing at a time, and will neither hear, see, smell, 
 taste, touch, or think of anything else, are probably 
 the best judges of this one thing, at that time but 
 not of its consequences." The Doctor was here taken 
 with a violent fit of sneezing ; he continued his phi- 
 losophy, however, in spite of it. "And I think, more- 
 over," said he, " that pschew ! that men and bears, 
 who are always determined to have their psclieiv ! 
 their rights, are apt to fancy everything right which
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 43 
 
 they wish to pschew ! to do, or to have. Ah tschew ! 
 And even when they really do see the pschew ! the 
 truth, and what is actually poo ! what is actually 
 psclww ! what I say, is actually ah, tschew ! I beg 
 ten hundred thousand pardons, poo ! and even 
 when they really do see what is true, and actually 
 right in itself that is, right for every body they 
 do not go the right way to obtain it. Pschew ! I beg 
 ten thousand pschew-poos !" 
 
 " I am exactly of your opinion, Mr. Doctor," 
 said the stout gentleman. " They try to obtain it 
 by violence, which always fails, because the world 
 is very strong, and will never be forced." 
 
 The Doctor was about to reply, but the sneeze 
 caught him, so that, instead of saying, " Very true, 
 Sir,'.' he said, " Poo-poo, Sir!" 
 
 " Don't you think," observed Mrs. Littlepump, 
 " that it is often best not to make too much noise 
 about a thing, and then, very likely, the right thing 
 softly happens ? " 
 
 " Poo !" sneezed the Doctor, " ah!-ah /-ten thou- 
 sand poos! But pray, Sir, continue your very 
 charming ah !-ah !-ah /-No, it has gone off,-continue 
 your very charming narrative," 
 
 The Bear bowed till his left eye nearly touched the 
 bowl of his pipe, and then continued as follows :
 
 44 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 " My poor father being thus lost to us, my mother 
 set herself busily to work at my education. Besides 
 teaching me all exercises of the limbs proper for my 
 age, she sought to instil amiable principles into my 
 mind. Taking care to preserve a due respect for my 
 father's memory, she nevertheless explained to me 
 that our loss, both of him and our comfortable cave, 
 was entirely occasioned by his hasty temper, his 
 want of endurance and forbearance, and his obstinate 
 character. My mother shed tears as she explained 
 all this, but said it was only too true. We had lost 
 him, and our home, and he had lost us and his home, 
 and was now in a menagerie at Berlin. 
 
 " My mother divided every day into various por- 
 tions ; but although a considerable share was given 
 to amusement, in which I played with several young 
 bears of my own age, and had occasionally a gam- 
 bol with other juvenile animals, still there was 
 nothing that gave me more pleasure than the lessons 
 I received from her. For this purpose, she would 
 generally take me into some retired part of the wood, 
 and seated under a wide-spreading tree, she taught 
 my young ideas ' how to shoot/ One lesson in par- 
 ticular, I remember, as she took great pains to 
 impress it on my memory. The principle it incul- 
 cated has influenced my conduct through life, and I
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 45 
 
 can truly say, upon all occasions, with the best 
 results to myself. It was conveyed in the following 
 little verse : 
 
 Oil ! thou small Bear, 
 Learn to bear, and forbear, 
 And of good luck, or good friends, never despair. 
 
 " A few days after I had first received this lesson, 
 I found myself placed in a situation to require the 
 good advice it gave me. An extremely well-be- 
 haved young wild boar, and a very merry little 
 fox, with whom I was playing, took the opportunity 
 of asking me what I had been doing the other day 
 near a certain hollow tree. I told them I often col- 
 lected acorns there in the morning, and went in the 
 evening to eat them. They said no more, and we 
 went on playing round about the trees, and some- 
 times climbing up them, that is, the merry little fox 
 and I the young wild pig could not. But after 
 that day, whenever I collected acorns in the morn- 
 ing in the hollow tree, and went at night to eat 
 them, they were all gone ! 
 
 One evening, however, as I was returning home 
 after my disappointment, and wondering who it 
 could be, I heard a laughing amidst the thickets, 
 and entering suddenly, there I saw the little fox and 

 
 46 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 my friend the wild pig, who were just going to run 
 away when they saw me; and they both looked very 
 foolish as our eyes met. So the thought struck me 
 that they were the thieves, and I at once accused 
 them. The wild pig indignantly denied that he 
 had stolen a single acorn, and would not be called 
 a thief by anybody. The little fox said the accu- 
 sation was unjust and cruel, and also not good sense, 
 as he had never eaten a single acorn in all his life, 
 nor his father before him, and he w T ould not be called 
 a glutton by anybody. On hearing this, I, with an 
 intelligence beyond my years, instantly understood 
 how it all was. ' Jemmy ! ' said I, fixing my eyes 
 upon the little fox, i Jemmy ! you know very well 
 that you stole my acorns. We have often played 
 together, and this is the first bad trick you have 
 ever served me, You know I am quite able to 
 punish you severely, and take your tail away from 
 you. But I forgive you this time.' Then turning 
 to the young wild pig, who stood looking very 
 stupid, and silent, and fierce, with his eyes half shut, 
 and peeping out of the corners of them, ' Hugo ! ' 
 said I, in a mild voice, and laying one paw upon 
 the top of his bristling back, 'you have eaten 
 my acorns, you know that I am stronger than 
 you that I could throw my arms round your neck, 

 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 47 
 
 and give you such a one ! (meaning a hard hug) 
 but I forbear, for the sake of our previous friend- 
 ship. I feel sure this will never happen again, 
 and, no doubt, we shall all be better friends than 
 ever/ At this, the little fox shed a great many 
 tears, and continued to rub his eyes with his little 
 yellow brush for five minutes afterwards. The 
 young wild pig stood silently for some time, as if 
 he were trying to understand all about it; and 
 when he did speak, it was only ' ouff! ' but I 
 thought he felt what I had said. 
 
 " At night, when we were going to bed, I told the 
 whole story to my mother, who much commended 
 me, and said that I had rightly acted according to 
 what she had taught me in the verse. ' For what/ 
 said she, would have been the use of beating and 
 squeezing the young thieves ? It would not have 
 brought back the acorns, and would have made 
 them both enemies in future, ready to steal any* 
 thing. But as it is, you have got two friends, and 
 lost nothing.' ' Yes, mother,' said I, after a mo- 
 ment's reflection, c but I have lost my acorns ! ' * Not 
 more lost,' replied my mother, 'than if you had 
 eaten them. When a thing is eaten, it is lost. 
 All that you have to complain of is, that the young 
 wild pig eat them for you ; but as you have forgiven
 
 48 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 him, of course you ought to think no more of the 
 matter. Act thus through life ; not only because 
 you are sure to keep and to make friends by it, but 
 also because it is the most amiable way to act 
 towards your fellow-creatures, whether you gain 
 by it or not. Do so, therefore, for the sake of the 
 verse I taught you, and for the love of my memory 
 when I am gone and trust to nature for good 
 results. Now, child, go to sleep.' 
 
 " In this manner I passed my early youth, and 
 was just coming to the maturity of my size and 
 strength, when the domestic calamity occurred, to 
 which I once alluded the first time I had the 
 honour of addressing the present company. It 
 was a calamity which made me an orphan in the 
 world. 
 
 " We were accosted one evening by a very ragged, 
 but very intelligent old ape, who had contrived to 
 effect his escape from the menagerie of Berlin, dis- 
 guised as a Chinese tea-merchant, and who now 
 begged a night's lodging, as he considered himself 
 out of all danger. From this gentleman we heard 
 of the death of my poor father. He might have 
 lived much longer, but his proud spirit, over which 
 he had no command, killed him. He had quarrelled 
 with all the keepers of the menagerie, one after
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 49 
 
 another, on account of some fancied insult or in- 
 dignity; although, as the worthy ape informed 
 us, my father had really been very well treated, 
 and all his reasonable wants had been considered, 
 as he had been looked upon as an extremely fine 
 bear, and a credit to the establishment. First, he 
 refused his food ; then he would take no exercise, 
 nor even stand up; and finally, did nothing but 
 sleep. But that which the ape thought had at last 
 killed him, was an angry dispute which he had with 
 the trumpeter of the menagerie, as to the direc- 
 tion in which the mouth of the instrument ought to be 
 pointed. The trumpeter chose always to point it 
 towards my father's cage ; whereas my father ar- 
 gued that the trumpet ought to be turned towards 
 the elephant, who understood the noise. However, 
 as my father could not have his own way, he was 
 unable any longer to endure life, and so he died. 
 Sick sick of the perversity of all sorts of things. 
 
 " My mother never recovered this sad intelligence. 
 She made no complaint, nor did she appear to give 
 way to grief, but she gradually sunk, and sunk, 
 and her age seemed in a few weeks to be actually 
 doubled, so that everybody said she was dying of 
 old age. Her feet failed her, and her teeth fell 
 out. She took leave of me one night in a more
 
 50 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 than usually affectionate manner. She told me to 
 act always with honesty, truth, and good feeling 
 towards every one ; to bear all injuries and mis- 
 fortunes as firmly as I could, and to forbear in all 
 cases to revenge or retaliate. Even if I should ever 
 meet with the trumpeter who had so vexed my poor 
 father in his latter days, I was to take no notice of 
 the circumstance, as the fellow was, no doubt, 
 either a wicked or an ignorant animal, and there- 
 fore better let alone. She then gave me an em- 
 brace, and told me to sleep well, and remember 
 her words. In the morning I found her lying dead 
 upon the moist green grass, with her head gently 
 resting upon one paw." 
 
 As the Bear uttered these last words, he seemed 
 overcome with many feelings and thoughts of other 
 years; then suddenly rising from his chair, he 
 hastily put on his hat and cloak, and hurried out 
 of the room, dragging his long orange-coloured 
 comforter after him. They heard the sound of the 
 street-door closing, and two of the children ran on 
 tip-toe to the window ; but he was out of sight.
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 51 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The next evening the children all met again, in 
 the hope that the Good-natured Bear would come 
 to finish his story. 
 
 " I am so much afraid he will never come again," 
 said Nancy. " What shall we do? " 
 
 " What shall we do ? " echoed all the children. 
 
 " I think, for my part," said Mrs. Littlepump, 
 " that he will come." 
 
 " I am sure I hope so," said Gretchen. " Dear, 
 dear, how my heart beats ! " 
 
 " Your heart beats for Mr. Bear ? " said Dr. Lit- 
 tlepump, looking hard at Gretchen, who instantly 
 blushed up to the eyes, and her ears were as red 
 as ripe cherries. 
 
 " I do so wish," said little Val. ; and then he 
 stopped.
 
 52 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 " What do you wish, Valentine ? " asked Mr. 
 Doctor, looking at his watch. 
 
 " That we had Jemmy here ! " 
 
 " Jemmy ! what Jemmy ? " inquired Mr. Doctor, 
 with a serious face. 
 
 " Why, papa, don't you recollect ? Jemmy, the 
 merry little fox with the yellow brush tail ! " 
 
 At this moment the clock struck six, and with- 
 out any knocking, or ringing, or previous announce- 
 ment, the parlour door opened, and in walked 
 Mr. Bear ! 
 
 He bowed with his habitual politeness; but he had 
 a more than usual air of gravity, and some appear- 
 ance of anxiety. Gretchen placed his chair for 
 him, and this seemed to please him. " I thank you, 
 Miss Gretchen/' said he ; and he soon got better. 
 Looking round with a smile, and particularly at 
 Gretchen, he proposed to conclude his story. " Oh 
 do, Sir! please do!" cried a dozen voices at 
 once ; and accordingly the Bear thus proceeded : 
 
 " Did I speak with any degree of severity con- 
 cerning my father's impatience under captivity ? 
 Did I take upon myself in any way to cast a shade 
 upon his memory, on account of his inability to 
 endure the rude behaviour and freedoms of his 
 keepers, and the insolence of the trumpeter ? If I
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 did, forgive me ; it was very wrong ; I have now 
 to tell of my own captivity, and I fear there were 
 several occasions upon which I did not always 
 follow my mother's precepts, but really lost my 
 temper for some minutes. Not to keep you in 
 suspense, I have to confess that I had scarcely 
 attained my full growth, when a party of hunters 
 surrounded the forest where I lived, and surprising 
 me while I was asleep, caught me fast in a very 
 strong rope net. I made a great resistance ; upon 
 which three of the hunters stepped a few paces 
 back, and telh'ng the others to stand out of the 
 way, presented their guns, intending to shoot me. 
 At this moment, however, a prodigious wild boar 
 rushed out of a thicket, and crying " ouff! " charged 
 right upon the three hunters knocked them all 
 three flat upon their backs like ninepins and then 
 dashed into a thicket on the opposite side ! 
 
 " Up jumped the three hunters very angry and 
 astonished, and instantly fired their guns into the 
 thicket after the boar; but he was out of their 
 reach. 
 
 " Another of the hunters was now about to thrust 
 his spear at me, when suddenly he gave a loud 
 cry, and flung his spear at a tree, close to the foot 
 of which, we saw a large yellow and red brush 
 
 E2
 
 54 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 tail whisk round. ' Oh ! ' cried the hunter, ' some 
 rascal of a fox has bit off the toe of my boot, and 
 a little bit of my great toe with it ! ' 
 
 " I need not tell you who these two forest friends 
 were, who, having grown up, had thus saved my 
 life, because you have already guessed. The hun- 
 ters now began to consult together as to whether I 
 might not be of more value to them alive than if they 
 killed me ; and at length they determined, as I was 
 very young, and very large, and my fur of a rich 
 bright brown colour, to send me to Berlin to the 
 menagerie in which my father had died. Still, some 
 of them said that a live bear was a great trouble on 
 a long journey. As I now perceived it was of no 
 use to make any further resistance among so many 
 armed men, I endeavoured to reconcile myself to 
 my fate, and became quite quiet. The cords that 
 bound me having become partially loose at the arms, 
 and the son of the hunter who had been about to kill 
 me with his spear, happening to come close to me, 
 I slowly freed one paw, and instead of seizing the 
 boy roughly, I slowly raised myself to an upright 
 position behind his back, and then patted him gently 
 upon the top of the head. This both surprised and 
 amused, and won the hearts of all the hunters ; 
 they said it was quite impossible to kill such a good-
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 55 
 
 natured bear, and from that day they always behaved 
 kindly to me, and gave me plenty to eat and drink. 
 Once, indeed, I have to confess, that I drank rather 
 too much, and was a little intoxicated, but inno- 
 cently so, upon my honour. I could not think what 
 they had put in my water that day to make it 
 look so red, and taste so nice, and feel so warm 
 when it went down ! Upon the same occasion also, 
 one of the party, as we were all seated in a pleasant 
 wood at sun-set, drew forth a clarionet, and another 
 a horn, and began to play. I drank wine and heard 
 music for the first time in my life ! Being quite 
 unable to contain myself, I rose upon my hind legs 
 of my own accord, and danced in the middle of the 
 open green space ; at which the hunters all shouted 
 and laughed, and laughed and shouted, and the 
 music played louder and faster, and the trees all 
 began to dance round me too, as I thought ; and 
 the green ground spun round about, carrying all the 
 hunters and the music in a swift dizzy circle round 
 me, till fearing I was going perfectly mad, I deter- 
 mined to command myself and save my senses, and 
 therefore I collected all my energies into one effort, 
 and stopped dancing. The instant I stood still, I 
 found the ground slip up from beneath my feet, :md 
 I seemed to roll to the bottom of a hill, where I wont 
 to sleep in a moment.
 
 56 THE GUOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 " From this time, being much encouraged to do 
 it, I continually practised walking upright. At 
 first it certainly was extremely difficult, and I could 
 not help bending my nose and looking all down 
 my right side, then all down my left side, and so 
 from side to side, for I seemed such a height above 
 the ground ; and also, in order to keep my balance 
 I was obliged to give my weight first on one leg, 
 then on the other, without lifting them from the 
 ground, and to do this many 'times before I could 
 venture to take a step ; and when I did walk, it 
 was at first in this same way, not imlike the rocking 
 of a boat's mast on the water. I ought to have 
 begun when I was younger. The balance required 
 is so fine and peculiar, that every one who, wishes 
 to walk well, should begin at two years of age. 
 However, eventually, I mastered the difficulty. 
 
 " My position in the menagerie was more than 
 comfortable. My food was much better than usual 
 in establishments of that kind, and my water 
 always clean and fresh from the pump. I also had 
 far more liberty than any other animal; all of 
 which things I attribute to the simple fact of having 
 shewn no anger or animosity towards any one, and 
 having been always careful not to hurt or frighten 
 any children who came near me. I confess, that
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 57 
 
 I felt great anger at first seeing the trumpeter; 
 however, I remembered my mother's injunctions, 
 and governed myself. The fellow always pointed 
 his trumpet towards me when he played, just as 
 he had done to my father ; but I rather liked to 
 hear it much as I disliked him. The knave 
 played well. He was, however, soon afterwards 
 dismissed, for teasing the parrots, lie had often 
 done this, till one day all the parrots, parroquets, 
 and macaws in the menagerie, set up a terrific 
 screaming and screeching at him, and all at the 
 same moment, so that the police came in with drawn 
 swords to see what dreadful thing was happening ! 
 The Knave of Trumpets was, of course, sent about 
 his business directly. 
 
 I now became an object of principal attraction 
 in the establishment, and I found that crowds came 
 daily, and ranged themselves in front of my cell, 
 and looked, and pointed, and often spoke to me, 
 till at last I came to perceive that I was regarded 
 as a surprising instance of sagacity, although I did 
 not understand one word they addressed to me, 
 except when they also made signs. From this cir- 
 cumstance, however, I was able sometimes to 
 connect the sounds with the signs, so that I actually 
 learnt the meaning of many words. Then first
 
 58 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 dawned the great ambition within me of acquiring 
 the faculty of human speech ; for I considered that 
 if I had managed to learn the meaning of many 
 words, why not of many more ? and when I came 
 to be thoroughly familiar with certain sounds, why 
 not imitate those words, so as to speak as well as 
 understand ? 
 
 " I determined to accomplish this if possible, and 
 studied very hard. I listened attentively all day 
 to those whom I heard speaking, and at night I 
 practised my voice. At first I was very unsuc- 
 cessful, and only produced strange noises, so that it 
 woke some of the animals, who made a great grum- 
 bling, and three of the monkeys mocked me for a 
 week after, chattering, pointing, and making mouths 
 at me. However, I persevered, and at the end of 
 four years I understood nearly all that was said to 
 me, even without signs, and could pronounce a 
 number of words in the German language very 
 intelligibly, though, of course, with rather a foreign 
 accent. I proved this to my own satisfaction upon 
 two or three occasions, when it was dark and no 
 one knew where the voice came from ; but I always 
 found by the answers I received, that what I had 
 said was understood. Nevertheless, I kept all this 
 a secret. I was, by this time, made a show of by
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 59 
 
 myself, and separated from all the other animals 
 in one large corner, which was parted off by a 
 green curtain in front, where an additional price 
 was paid. I did not know what in the world they 
 might do with me, if they found they possessed a 
 Bear who could talk! I often longed for my 
 liberty. I was sadly tired of this kind of crowding 
 and staring life, and pined after the noble solitudes 
 of my native woods. But there seemed no hope 
 of escape. 
 
 " In the ninth year of my captivity, and I may add, 
 of my private studies, I was sent round the country 
 in a caravan, with three keepers, who made a great 
 deal of money by me, at the various Fairs and Mar- 
 kets. I was called in the placards outside, " The 
 Intellectual Prodigy ! " There was also in the 
 caravan one other captive, and this was a large 
 Serpent. I made several friendly overtures towards 
 this Serpent, but he never noticed me. He was 
 usually asleep in a long wooden box, rolled up in 
 a heap of blankets. When he was awake, his eyes 
 were generally half shut, and he seemed in a sort 
 of stupid trance, so that we formed no acquaintance. 
 I longed more than ever for my liberty. 
 
 One night it was a hot night in June after a 
 long journey, and a very successful day's show at
 
 60 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 the Fair of Bonn, our keepers all went away to 
 supper, each of us being fastened up as usual, and 
 the window shutters and door closed. Towards 
 midnight, and while everything was silent and dark, 
 I heard the Serpent's box crack ! Then all again 
 was silent. The caravan was dreadfully hot not 
 a breath of fresh air could come in. It was shame- 
 ful to leave us in such a state. For my part, I felt 
 my fur coat dripping with the heat ; so I thought 
 it was this which had made the box crack. Presently 
 it cracked again; and then slowly cracked once 
 more, as if the Serpent was stretching himself inside. 
 And all again was silent. But I soon found that 
 the Serpent was out, and softly gliding about the 
 bottom of the caravan ! He had evidently burst 
 his box, and there was something in his mind. 
 I remained perfectly quiet, not knowing what he 
 was about, and not wishing to meddle. He went 
 inquiring in his silent way round and round the 
 caravan, lifting his head up, first on one side, then 
 on the other, with a dry scraping sound, but all 
 very softly. His head now moved up to the lock 
 of the door then down to the crack underneath 
 it then again to the lock. Presently, his head 
 went slowly gliding up to one of the windows, and 
 moved all over the inside shutter. It had not been
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 61 
 
 properly locked, and it opened a little way. Upon 
 this, the Serpent raised himself upwards by his 
 mouth, opening the shutter gradually as he rose, 
 till he had coiled about half his body up against 
 the window-frame, and then with a slow pressure 
 he burst it open. The next moment he dropped 
 silently through the aperture, and was gone ! 
 
 "In an instant the thought of liberty, and the 
 prospect of it, flashed upon my mind ! I grasped 
 the wooden bars of my cell with both arms, and 
 crushed three of them together I jumped down 
 upon the floor of the caravan, and scrambled up 
 to the window it was too small to let my body 
 through but I tore away the frame-work and 
 a plank or two besides and out I got, and leaped 
 down upon fresh cool grass, in the fresh cool night 
 air ! oh, what delight after that steaming hot 
 caravan ! I looked round for the Serpent, think- 
 ing that as we had been fellow prisoners, we ought 
 to keep company in our escape but there were no 
 signs of him so I ran off as fast as I could. A few 
 stars were shining luckily there was no moon."
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 " Our caravan had fortunately been fixed outside 
 the town, so that I had no gates to pass through. 
 The caravan had stood on the grass between two 
 trees on the avenue leading to the village and cas- 
 tle of Popplesdorf, directly in front of the house of 
 Mr. Doctor Wissbegierde, Professor of Impossible 
 Science in the University of Bonn, who had taken 
 a great fancy to me. Oh, if the good man had but 
 known that I could speak German ! Well, I 
 scampered away, dodging between the trees of the 
 avenue, just as if I had been pursued, though not 
 a soul was to be seen at that hour, and passed to 
 the left of the moat of the Castle, and cut across the 
 fields till I got among the vineyards of Casenisch. 
 It was so dark that I ran at a venture, and only 
 found out in after years, the route I had taken on
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. G3 
 
 that eventful night. I knew I could not hide safely 
 here, so I went scrambling on through garden, 
 and orchard, and wood, till I came into the high 
 road to Coblentz, which I crossed, and again plun- 
 ged into vineyards till I came suddenly upon the 
 Rhine. I swam across without a moment's hesita- 
 tion, and landed a little above Konigswinter. I 
 again lost myself in the vineyards, but I did the 
 best I could to avoid both the village and the 
 pathways to the Drachenfels, because, though 
 it could not have been more than two o'clock in 
 the morning, I still feared I might meet some par- 
 ty of English travellers, with donkeys and torches, 
 going up the road to see the sun rise, for I had 
 heard it said there was no knowing what the English 
 people would not do when they were on the continent. 
 " I now made my way up ward towards the further- 
 most mountains. I was not satisfied with the size 
 of the trees for some time. I knew there would be 
 a prodigious search after me. At last I came to a 
 forest, where the trees were very large, and had 
 abundance of boughs and foliage. It was also the 
 loftiest of the mountains. Up one of these trees I 
 slowly climbed, being careful not to scrape or leave 
 any marks upon the bark of the tree. Choosing 
 a snug place where several large boughs crossed
 
 64 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 each other, I bent some of the smaller ones round 
 about, so that I was effectually hidden from all eyes 
 below. 
 
 " The next morning, as I was sure would be the 
 case, I heard all sorts of noises of hunters and dogs, 
 all over the country. Several parties passed directly 
 beneath the tree were I was seated. I heard one 
 of the dogs give such a sniff ! Oh ! how closely I 
 hugged the trunk of the tree, with my nose pointing 
 straight up the stem, and not once venturing to 
 look down ! I felt myself praying with all my heart 
 not to be seen. This search continued for several 
 days round about me. I never descended, and I had 
 nothing to eat ; but once it rained in the night, and 
 I drank the water off the leaves, taking whole 
 bunches into my mouth at a time, and this quite 
 refreshed me. You know, my young friends, that 
 some creatures are able to live a long time without 
 food. 
 
 " Nobody ever found me out except that one 
 morning, an old Crow with a bright black eye, came 
 and peeped in at me, but directly he saw who it 
 was, he flew away, crying out ' lawk ! lawk !' 
 
 " At length the search after me was continued in 
 other parts of the country, and one night I came 
 down to stretch my legs, and sniff about a bit, and 
 see what the world was made of ahem !
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 65 
 
 " I had not walked far before I came to a spot 
 where the hunters had paused to rest and refresh 
 themselves, and here I found two things which had 
 been dropped by some accident namely, a purse 
 with some money in it, and a very large pork pie ! 
 The purse I placed in a thicket under a stone, but 
 I had an immediate need of the pie ; half of which 
 I was obliged to eat that night, I was so very hun- 
 gry. The remainder I carried with me up the tree, 
 and made it last five days. 
 
 " Though I never relaxed in my vigilance or for- 
 got my caution, the fear I had at first had of being 
 discovered and re-captured was very much dimi- 
 nished, so that my mind was free to pursue its own 
 course of self-improvement. I continued my studies 
 in speaking German, and with great assiduity, re- 
 peating all the sentences I knew, and every word I 
 could recollect, and so often, in order to master the 
 pronunciation, that sometimes when I ceased, I had 
 a pain in my lower jaw that lasted for half an hour. 
 However, I continually persevered, and thought no 
 pains too great which might enable me some day to 
 associate for such was the high ambition that had 
 dawned upon me with the races of mankind. It 
 was an ambition which often made me tremble, 
 because I naturally regarded the man species as
 
 G6 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 possessing miraculous senses and unparalleled wis- 
 dom. But I was bent upon making the attempt 
 very shortly. I had now practised speaking a hu- 
 man language nearly twelve years. I spoke very 
 badly I knew ; still I had sometimes found what I 
 said in the dark when I was in the menagerie, had 
 been intelligible, and I was full of hope. How, 
 and in what manner, to make my first appearance 
 among mankind, was at present quite a puzzle to 
 me. One preparation as to personal appearance 
 was also imperative. I grieved at it I resented 
 the prejudice which rendered it necessary yet I 
 knew I must submit. Excuse my agitation, dear 
 Mr. Doctor and Mrs. Doctress Littlepump I 
 hardly know how to proceed with this part of my 
 tale narrative, I should have said." 
 
 The Bear paused, evidently overcome by his 
 feelings. Dr. Littlepump rose, and said " Let me 
 entreat of you to compose yourself, Sir. Would 
 you like a glass of water ?" Mr. Bear shook his 
 head. " Or of wine ? " said Mrs. Littlepump. " Or 
 a cup of coffee, Sir ?" said Gretchen. " Or a mug 
 of beer ? " said Wallis. " Nothing, I thank you 
 all," said the Bear, " I am better now, and will 
 continue." The Bear accordingly did continue, 
 but they were all surprised to hear him assume 
 rather a pompous tone.
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 67 
 
 " In the early morning of the world, and the 
 infancy of nature and animal life," proceeded the 
 Bear, raising his head, and swelling out his chest, 
 " everything was new and wonderful, beyond all 
 doubt ; but not more new and wonderful, than use- 
 ful, and absolutely necessary, to carry out the 
 future business of creation. Who can deny the high 
 origin of tails ? The first animal, who had any 
 pretensions to an active and well proportioned form, 
 must have had a tail. Of its great importance it 
 would occupy too much time at present to speak, 
 besides that the majority of the company are young, 
 and cannot have read and thought deeply enough, 
 to enter into the merits of this most ancient appen- 
 dage. But even in these modern times, how much 
 of utility and ornament it possesses must be percep- 
 tible to everybody, whether they contemplate the 
 lion, the dog, the eagle, the swallow, the monkey, 
 the squirrel, the fish. Running, leaping, flying, 
 swimming, are all under unspeakable obligations 
 to the tail. We see plainly that the skill, activity, 
 and grace, of the serpent species, is attributable 
 to the fact of their being nearly all tail. Then, 
 what a tail the beaver has and who more skilful 
 than he? I will stop I must not venture to 
 dwell upon this subject, or I should talk the 
 
 v
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 whole night, and still not have half done. You see I 
 have no tail. I perceived that, as mankind had 
 none themselves in these modern days, whatever 
 they might have had in the early ages of the world, 
 there was now a prejudice against them. I saw 
 no alternative. Since I had made up my mind 
 to go among mankind, it was absolutely requisite 
 that I should conform to most of their customs. To 
 do anything important always requires some sacri- 
 fice of private feelings. In short, I found a sharp 
 flint stone, and cut my tail off below the first joint. 
 It did not bleed so much as I expected, and I was 
 quite well and charming in about a fortnight. 
 
 " You must be curious, I think, to hear how I 
 made my first appearance among the circles of 
 mankind, and I will hasten to tell you. Most 
 fortunately I had a little money, the value of which 
 I pretty well knew, and with this I cautiously 
 made my way across the country, and into the 
 town one dark evening of a market-day. After 
 lurking close to a quantity of old clothes that were 
 hanging on a line for sale, I watched my opportu- 
 nity, and creeping behind with half the contents of 
 the purse in my hand, I suddenly threw it over 
 the clothes line upon the heads of the Jewish sales- 
 men, saying, " Count it ! " But while they were 

 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 69 
 
 picking it up in surprise, I made a good grasp at a 
 large cloak and hat, and away I scrambled as fast 
 as I could, leaving the Jews in the full impression 
 that it was some madman who had plenty of money. 
 By means somewhat similar, I also possessed myself 
 of a large pair of wooden shoes, a pair of cow-skin 
 gloves, a piece of gingerbread, and a sheet of white 
 paper. With these materials, I set off on my journey, 
 but travelling chiefly by night. I reached my desti- 
 nation one evening, and made my first appearance 
 as a Quack Doctor, at the great Fair of Leipzig. 
 
 " I chose a dark corner on the outskirts of the 
 Fair spread my sheet of white paper upon the 
 ground, containing about a score of gingerbread 
 pills, and with a beating heart, and every limb of 
 me shaking with apprehension, I addressed the 
 human race on the subject of pills. I had heard 
 it was a vulnerable point. I really do not know 
 what I said for the fact is, I was so alarmed at 
 speaking to an assemblage of the beings of mira- 
 culous senses and unparalleled wisdom, that even 
 at the time I did not well know what I was 
 saying. However, the moment I began to speak, 
 a number of persons came round me, and laughed 
 loudly. I thought I was found out, and stopped. 
 4 Go on, Doctor ! go on Quacksalver ! ' cried they. 
 
 F2
 
 70 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 So I went on. A crowd soon collected, all of 
 whom laughed immoderately, saying, 'What a 
 voice ! look at his nose ! did you ever hear such 
 language ! what a figure ! ' They bought all my 
 pills in a very short time, and I was only able to 
 make my escape by telling them that I must go to 
 my lodgings for some more. I ran to a short dis- 
 tance, and as soon as I found myself alone, I danced 
 with delight. I sat down under a hedge, and taking 
 out a slice of gingerbread, began to make some 
 more pills, but I was so very overjoyed at my 
 success, that I could not roll them, and lost the 
 pieces. I was obliged to wait till the next evening 
 before I returned to the Fair. 
 
 " Oh, how shall I describe the joy and exultation 
 I felt at the increased success of my experiment 
 upon the wise and generous human race ! I was 
 obliged to double the price of my pills in order to 
 prevent them from going so fast. Everything I 
 said produced immense laughter, even when I my- 
 self knew that I had said no witty or sensible thing 
 at all, while any ordinary reply I made was 
 received with shouts of applause. For instance, 
 I heard a tall Prussian corporal who was listening 
 to my speech about my pills being a certain preser- 
 vative against hunger, if you took enough of them
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 71 
 
 which, you know, was very true, because they 
 were all made of gingerbread this corporal I heard 
 say to a friend, ' How well the dog does it ! '- 
 meaning me. ' Sir/ said I, ' give me leave to tell 
 you, with all submission, that there is no dog living 
 who can speak as well as I do/ At this, all the 
 crowd roared again with laughter, though I could 
 see nothing in it, except the truth. Gradually, 
 however, I began to perceive that they all thought 
 my strange voice, dialect, face, figure, and general 
 behaviour, were assumed, and that I was acting a 
 part ; in fact, that I could speak and appear very 
 differently if I liked. I did not altogether feel 
 pleased at this discovery; nevertheless, I was 
 obliged to take what came, and make the best of 
 it. I therefore spoke as well as I could, and when 
 I made some shocking blunder, I suffered it to be 
 supposed that I knew better, and thus endeavoured 
 to humour the eccentric wisdom of the human race. 
 " I now took my position in society; had 
 lodgings in a house, and slept in a bed ! I shall 
 never forget the first night I slept in a bed. How 
 I stood looking at the snow-white luxury! and 
 walked round it softly, holding my breath, and 
 touched it so gently, and considered my own hum- 
 ble origin, till I shed tears of joy to think how 1 had
 
 72 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 risen in the world. But I did muster courage at 
 last, and actually got in between the sheets ! 
 
 " I visited other large Fairs and with increased 
 success,~so that in the course of a year or two I had 
 gained a great sum of money. But in doing this 
 several curious little circumstances both puzzled 
 and amused me. I found by experience, that as 
 my pills became famous for their many virtues, it 
 also became requisite to dip them in a little juice 
 of some very bitter berry or herb, because people 
 seemed to think that there could be no virtue in a 
 thing unless it was made rather disagreeable. I 
 therefore bowed with deference to the wishes of the 
 lords and ladies of creation, and presented them 
 with bitter pills accordingly. I continued to make 
 money at a great rate. 
 
 " I soon became famous at all the great Fail's, 
 where by some I was called the Whimsical Doctor, 
 on account of my odd dress, face, and voice, all of 
 which they regarded as assumed. Several wealthy 
 frequenters of the Fairs offered to go partners with 
 me, and at last I consented. My partner was a 
 very clever Jew named Tobias, a jeweller. He 
 sold all his jewels, or rather, he turned all his jewels 
 into gingerbread, and we made waggon-loads of 
 pills. In the course of the manufacture, however,
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 73 
 
 Tobias talked to me in a style, which caused me 
 to feel for the first time, that this method of dealing 
 with the human race was not honourable ; that, in 
 fact, the human race was really not in all respects 
 so wise as I had imagined, and that nobody ought to 
 cheat them. The more my partner talked and 
 rejoiced over our successes, the more I felt we were 
 rogues ; so one morning I told him, that I wished to 
 dissolve our partnership. c Ah ! ' said he, ( then as 
 you leave me, of course you will leave with me all 
 the stock in trade, and all the money too.' ' No,' 
 said I, ' not all the money. Take all the pills, and 
 welcome ; but give me back half the money.' He 
 refused ; we had a few words, when suddenly he 
 turned sharp upon me and said, ' You shall have 
 nothing. If you persist I will betray you. I have 
 found out what you are. You are not a man but a 
 bear!' 
 
 " I was thunderstruck ! 'ft* fell back into my 
 infant years, as if I had^allen over a precipice ! 
 I felt I was a bear! But the next moment I 
 seized Tobias in my arms, and lifted him up in 
 the air, saying in a loud voice. ' Wicked fellow ! 
 naughty Jew ! what shall I do to you ? ' At 
 this moment, however, I recollected my mother's 
 words. I set him down upon the ground, where he
 
 74 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 stood quite breathless with fright, and as pale as 
 ashes ; and I said to him with solemnity ' Ungrate- 
 ful man also dishonest, and of a poor spirit, take 
 my money, and go thy ways in peace.' I was tho- 
 roughly ashamed of him; and as soon as I was alone, 
 I cried bitterly to think I should have been used so 
 unkindly by the first man with whom I associated. 
 
 " I had lost all my money, and had now to begin 
 afresh. I did not much mind this. It seemed such 
 a very easy thing to make money. What sums had 
 been made by shewing me, when I was a captive. 
 By what nonsense and gingerbread I had once 
 made my fortune ! How much easier then, thought 
 I, will it be, to make money by a little good sense 
 and something wholesome. Reasoning in this 
 manner, I retreated to a small town by way of 
 commencing, and began to sell Seltzer Water. 
 
 " My previous reputation as a Wonderful Doctor, 
 brought a crowd fomlfc first few days ; but when 
 they found I only said*that the Water was very 
 wholesome, and would do them good, and that I 
 did not say it would cure every possible complaint, 
 and broken bones, like the wonderful gingerbread, 
 they gradually ceased to buy of me, and soon took to 
 calling me a rascal of a Quack, who dressed himself 
 in a fur coat and a false nose in order to cheat people.
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 75 
 
 After this, the boys began to follow me, and shout, 
 and throw stones, till I was driven out of the place. 
 
 " Not knowing what to do, and certainly not 
 knowing what to think, I wandered about the 
 country, sitting under hedges and puzzling my 
 brains to understand what sort of thing human 
 reason was. I never could make it out. How- 
 ever, I forgave the people of this town, because I 
 knew that I was an impostor, though an innocent 
 impostor, since I could not help wearing a fur coat 
 and a long nose. 
 
 " One day, while I was seated in a thoughtful 
 mood under a chestnut tree, eating a turnip, who 
 should pass by but my former partner, Tobias, all in 
 rags, and looking very ill. Suddenly he saw me 
 uttered a cry of terror, and fell down in a fit. I 
 went to him and placed the cool wet leaves of my 
 turnip across his temples, which seemed to revive 
 him and do him good, and when he saw that I had 
 no intention to hurt him, he asked me to carry him 
 to the nearest peasant's cottage. I did so, and was 
 going away, when he called me back, and said, 
 ' I behaved very ill to you ; but I was punished. 
 When you left me nobody would buy the pills 
 the people called loudly for the Wonderful Doctor 
 with the fur coat and the large nose, who talked so
 
 76 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 oddly and as you were not to be found, they said 
 I was a rascal of a Quack and an impostor, and 
 drove me out of the town. I was quite ruined. 
 They seized all our pills and flung them about, and 
 the boys pelted each other with pill-boxes in the 
 streets, for at least three hours. The very same 
 wonderful pills the world had just before been 
 running after. 
 
 " In a few months after this, Tobias had a 
 fortune in jewels left him by a relation. He sent 
 for me begged my pardon for his previous beha- 
 viour set me up in business as a merchant, and 
 took great pains to instruct me. In the winter, 
 I dealt in pickles and preserves ; and in summer, 
 I carried on a wholesale trade in silks and velvets. 
 He wanted me to sell furs also, but I declined that. 
 These occupations I have followed ever since in 
 fact, during the last fifteen years with great 
 industry and good success. Meantime, however, 
 at all leisure hours, I have endeavoured to im- 
 prove my mind by various studies, and among 
 others, I even contrived to make some progress in 
 mathematics." 
 
 As Mr. Bear said this, his eyes twinkled, so that 
 all the children thought directly of dear Uncle 
 Abraham, the mathematician, and were so sorry 
 he was not present to hear about these studies.
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 77 
 
 " I should now," continued the stout gentleman, 
 " consider myself very happy, but for one circum- 
 stance. I confess I do not like to mention it, 
 because I fear either that it will cause you all to 
 laugh at me, or else that it will make you as melan- 
 choly as myself." 
 
 Mr. Bear here paused, sighed, and looked down 
 upon the floor. Mrs. Littlepump rose from her 
 chair, and said, " Oh, my dear Sir, you must not 
 do us the injustice to think any of us would laugh 
 at anything that makes you sad : we should far 
 rather prefer to share your melancholy." 
 
 " My love ! " said Dr. Littlepump in an under- 
 tone to his wife, " we must be moderate." 
 
 By this time all the children had sorrowful faces, 
 and Gretchen looked quite pale. 
 
 " Thus encouraged," said the melancholy stout 
 gentleman, " I will endeavour to proceed ; 
 
 " But how can this small heart contain 
 So large a world of joy and pain ; 
 And how can this small tongue declare 
 All that is felt so deeply there ! 
 
 Alas, poor Bear ! alas, poor Bear ! "
 
 78 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " You will all readily understand, that to have 
 raised myself by my own exertions so much above 
 the rest of my species, I must have had a nature sus- 
 ceptible of many thoughts and feelings ; and that the 
 peculiar tenderness instilled by my mother, had 
 grown with my growth, and rendered me open to 
 all the softer emotions." 
 
 Mr. Bear here paused and gave a deep sigh. Seve- 
 ral of the younger children sighed too, and Nancy 
 and little Val. laid hold of each other's hands, and 
 sat waiting to hear the cause of poor Mr. Bear's 
 sadness. Gretchen fixed her eyes upon the floor. 
 
 " I was not aware for some time," proceeded the 
 sorrowful gentleman in the rough coat, " of what 
 kind of emotions had begun to possess me. I felt I 
 was alone in the world I had long felt that but
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 79 
 
 I had so much to do so much to learn and struggle 
 with and work at, and so much travelling about, and 
 business to attend to, that I did not feel this being 
 alone as any great grief. In fact, I had not time 
 to think of grieving at it ; and besides, as I had 
 been successful in the various difficult things I had 
 attempted, and had for a long time been very 
 fortunate in all my affairs of business, I was in the 
 habit of regarding myself as a happy person. 
 Certainly I had many reasons to be very happy. 
 And I was happy, until I began to think that 
 others were more so, and then I saw it was because 
 others who were happy could share it with those 
 they loved, and also give happiness to the dear 
 object. But I was alone in the world. I had 
 nobody to love I could have no dear object. 
 Nobody would ever love me except another bear, 
 and that, you know, *was out of the question with 
 one in my advanced state of refinement. What 
 was I to do ? I could have loved a dear object 
 a great many, I am sure I was going to say I 
 beg pardon I do not quite well know what I say 
 at this agitating moment. But let me endeavour 
 to communicate to you, that I felt it impossible to 
 live all my life without some tender acquaintance 
 with the little God of Love, and as I was by this
 
 80 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 time long passed the season of youth, I was resolved 
 to let my heart be lost with the first object that 
 should present herself to my ardent fancy. 
 
 " But, strange to relate, no sooner had I made up 
 my mind to fall in love with the first amiable and 
 lovely person I saw, than I ceased to meet with any 
 such as I frequently used to see before. So I began 
 to think the wish had left me, and I determined to 
 study something very difficult in order to occupy 
 my mind, and perhaps cure myself of these lovely 
 fancies. I accordingly resolved to take a course 
 of studies under the instruction of Mr. Professor 
 Abraham Littlepump, and with that view I first 
 came to this village. I arrived in the evening as 
 you know, but did not intend to have made my 
 visit till next morning had I not been attracted 
 by the loud merriment of our young friends here. 
 It has always happened tha4 Mr. Professor Abra- 
 ham Littlepump has been absent when I have paid 
 you a visit ; but this does not concern me in regard 
 to the mathematics. I have seen some one here 
 in this room who has put all the mathematics 
 clean out of my head. And now comes the sorrow- 
 ful end of my story." 
 
 As Mr. Bear uttered these words, everybody 
 began to look all round the room, and then at each
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 81 
 
 other and then all round the room again. " Who 
 can poor Mr. Good-natured Bear mean?" said 
 Nancy in a whisper to one of the eldest of the boys. 
 " Gretchen, dear ! " said little Val., " your ears 
 are as red as my scarlet-runners. Mr. Bear means 
 Mamma." 
 
 " Silence ! " said Dr. Littlepump. 
 
 " Pity an unfortunate creature," resumed the 
 pathetic stout gentleman, "pity an unfortunate 
 lover who has no hope. But permit him with 
 patience perhaps with some degree of kind com- 
 miseration to express a small portion of his feel- 
 ings. I have at length seen the object of my 
 devout wishes. Yes, in this very room forgive 
 me, my dear little friends, and you, dear Mr. 
 Doctor and Mrs. Doctress Pump allow me to 
 declare Littlepump, I sJwuld have said allow me 
 to declare that in thi# house in this very room 
 have I seen just exactly what I have been speaking 
 of. You understand me. 
 
 " Oh, Sir !" proceeded the excited stout one, now 
 giving way to his feelings, " oh, that I could have 
 had the honour and happiness of being your brother 
 Abraham ! I would have devoted my mind to far 
 more beautiful contemplations. He, insensible man, 
 seated in his arm chair ruminating upon mathcma-
 
 82 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 tical problems, knew not, as it seemed, of the charm- 
 ing object that was continually before him some- 
 times singing to the children, sometimes teaching 
 them to read, and to dance sometimes working 
 with her delightful needle. Oh, let me change 
 places with him the cold, insensible, stick of slate 
 pencil. To him let the North Pole be "given" to find 
 the difference between a Bear of Poland, and a Polar 
 Bear, and let him prove the answer by astronomical 
 decimals and infinite fractions of the terrestrial and 
 celestial globes. No, my little dears I have not 
 gone mad I know what I am saying or rather, I 
 do not very well know what I am saying." 
 
 Poor Mr. Bear here began to cry, and several of 
 the children cried too ; but he went blubbering on 
 with his strange speech all the same. 
 
 " Let Mr. Professor Uncle Abraham stay where 
 he is, with his problems and tlumps, and let me be 
 allowed to remain in his place and sit in his chair, 
 so that I may enjoy the happy society of the sweet- 
 voiced Gretchen, nursery-governess in the amiable 
 family of Dear Mr. Doctor Littlepump, Chief 
 Counsellor to the Austrian Agency for the Tommy 
 Mines of Seringapatam." 
 
 As he concluded the last sentence the unhappy 
 gentleman sank back almost fainting in his chair,
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 83 
 
 and Gretchen covered her face entirely with both 
 hands. 
 
 " I stand amazed at human nature ! " said Dr. 
 Littlepump, fetching a long breath " Human 
 nature is not only amazing in itself, but the very 
 shadows and imitations of it, are amazing to a 
 reflecting mind." 
 
 " Call me not a shadow, and an imitation, 
 most respected Counsellor of Tommy Mines," 
 exclaimed the stout gentleman, " I am an original 
 thing. I only dare to speak of my affection for 
 this sweet creature. I know I am too old for her 
 too ugly besides being a bear. I know I 
 have no hope ; but what can I do how can I 
 help this beating heart ? What is to become 
 of me ? " 
 
 By this time, all the children had tears in their 
 eyes. Nancy and little Val., however, got close 
 to Gretchen, holding her fast on each side, for fear 
 that, perhaps, poor Mr. Bear might want to carry 
 her away. Everybody was silent. 
 
 At last, Nancy ventured to say in a trembling 
 voice, " Perhaps, dear Mr. Bear, you might find 
 somebody else ? " 
 
 " Not Mamma, though ! " cried little Val., with 
 a look of alarm. 
 
 G
 
 84 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 " Valentine ! " said Dr. Littlepump, " be silent, 
 I beg of you. You see Mrs. Littlepump ! " 
 
 " Oh, that I had eloquence ! " exclaimed the 
 despairing lover, "that the best words would 
 come of themselves in the best places, while other 
 best words were getting themselves ready to be 
 poured out ! then should I be able to touch the 
 human heart. Oh, that I knew how to say some- 
 thing very affecting something of that kind of 
 foundation-searching character which there should 
 be no standing against, or reasoning with ! Then 
 might I see a glimpse of a chance ; but as it is, 
 all my hopes are vanity are without substance 
 are, in fact, nothing at all. I must leave this busy 
 scene, and retire into obscurity. I will again visit 
 the haunts of my childhood, and stay there. Oh, 
 my native woods ! ye silent nights ye small 
 bright stars, playing bo-peep through boughs into 
 hollow caves I will go back among you, and in 
 the cool green grass where my mother died, there 
 also will I lay my head. Farewell ! farewell ! " 
 
 Uttering these words, the despairing stout gen- 
 tleman rose to depart. All the children were by 
 this time crying, and wanting to say something, 
 they did not know what. 
 
 " But can nothing be done for you, Sir ? " said 
 Mrs. Littlepump, in a soft voice. 

 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 85 
 
 " My dear Gretchen," interrupted Dr. Little- 
 pump, " you hear what Mrs. Littlepump asks. It 
 is for you to make some kind of answer. Be careful 
 what you say. I wish my brother Abraham was 
 here ! " 
 
 " I can never love the gentleman in the rough 
 coat," said Gretchen, still holding one hand before 
 her face. " I do not mind his being so much older 
 than myself, nor do I think him so very very ugly 
 only he is a Bear ! " 
 
 "I am a devoted Lover ! " ejaculated the stout 
 unfortunate, with enthusiasm, " and I will be 
 anything else I can, that the dear object may 
 command." 
 
 " I have had a dream ! " said Gretchen, timidly 
 looking up, and hesitating. " I have had a dream ! " 
 
 " So have I ! " said Dr. Littlepump, sternly. 
 " Come, come I begin to feel uncomfortable." 
 
 " Do not feel so ! " exclaimed Mr. Bear, clasping 
 his paws together "do not feel uncomfortable, most 
 magnanimous Counsellor of Thomas Mines do not, 
 I implore ' Tommy,' I should have said." 
 
 " Make haste ! " continued the Doctor, fixing his 
 looks upon Gretchen ; " make haste, young hazel- 
 eyed thing, and let us hear your dream." 
 
 " I dreamed," said Gretchen, trembling, " that 
 
 G2
 
 86 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 Mr. Bear must go into that closet, and be locked in. 
 Then, all the children were to form a magic circle 
 in the middle of the room, and move slowly round, 
 hand in hand, nine times, saving, 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Bear ! 
 
 Shake off your hair ! 
 Remember your mother's words never despair ! " 
 
 " After this, a glass of punch and a slice of cake 
 were to be placed ready for each to take the moment 
 the door was opened, and they saw that the charm 
 was complete. I dreamt this would cause Mr. Bear 
 to change to the likeness of somebody you are all 
 very fond of. And then 
 
 " And then ? " said Dr. Littlepump, " what 
 then ? I repeat, I am beginning to feel very un- 
 comfortable. I smell something ! I smell a plot ! 
 I must have a serious talk with my brother Abra- 
 ham this very evening." 
 
 " Oh, we shall soon see what the dream will do," 
 said Mrs. Littlepump. " Mr. Bear, you have heard 
 all this ? Will you run all risks of what may hap- 
 pen, and go into the closet ? " 
 
 " I will do anything, dear Lady Pumplittle ! " 
 exclaimed Mr. Bear. "I will run any risk I 
 will run anywhere ! "- saying which, he ran to- 

 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 87 
 
 wards the closet, headforemost, so that he knocked 
 liis crown bump against one of the pannels. 
 
 The door was opened the children all peeped 
 in, and looked round cautiously to see if anybody 
 was there but it was quite empty, excepting 
 some china, and pickle jars, and a high shelf, 
 where there was a box for dahlia roots. Mr. Bear 
 stepped in, and immediately went down upon his 
 knees, to wait for what might happen to him. 
 
 " All in the dark ! " said little Val., " and door 
 locked ! " 
 
 The children now formed a circle in the middle 
 of the room, and while Gretchen was pouring out 
 glasses of punch, and Lydia and Dorothea were 
 cutting slices of cake, and Wallis was cleaning his 
 spectacles, and Dr. and Mrs. Littlepump were 
 standing silently holding each other by both hands 
 the children turned in a circle nine times, repeat- 
 ing the words of the charm : 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Bear ! 
 
 Shake off your hair ! 
 Remember your mother's words never despair ! " 
 
 When they had finished, Mrs. Littlepump un- 
 locked the closet door. Everybody was so silent. 
 Mrs. Littlepump now told Gretchen to go and tap 
 at the door. She did so. And then the door
 
 88 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 slowly began to open. It stopped opening, and 
 a voice inside said, " You must take my hand, or 
 I cannot come out." And then a well-formed hand 
 was put forth, which Gretchen, with a face all scar- 
 let with blushes gently took ; and then who should 
 come out of the closet but dear Uncle Abraham J 
 
 The children all gave a great shout ! The next 
 moment they all ran to him, still shouting, some 
 taking his hand, others pulling at his legs, others 
 running round him, and looking up and down him ; 
 and then they all ran right into the closet, scram- 
 bling, and squeaking, and searching all about, but 
 finding nothing ! 
 
 " I was not altogether prepared for this," said 
 Dr. Littlepump. 
 
 " Oh," said Mrs. Littlepump, " it is not the first 
 time in the world, that a grave man fell in love 
 with a merry girl." 
 
 " But it certainly is the first time," said Dr. 
 Littlepump, " that a bear, however good-natured, 
 was so lucky as to get a pretty girl for his wife, 
 however merry she might be. But my mind is 
 confused, upon several points. And the more I 
 reflect, the more my head goes round. Brother ! 
 I always used to consider you a strong-minded 
 man but now "
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 89 
 
 " You will dance at my wedding ! " said Abra- 
 ham Littlepump. 
 
 "I will," said Dr. Littlepump. "God bless 
 you, brother Abraham. At the same time, I 
 must beg leave to observe, that a man of mature 
 years, of great understanding, and a Professor of 
 Mathematics, should not have fallen in love with 
 my nursery governess. Bless my soul ! Good-na- 
 tured Bear, indeed ! I do not mean to say anything 
 at all unkind but I do say, bless my soul ! " 
 
 " My good brother," said Abraham Littlepump, 
 " this love of mine is not a more wonderful thing, 
 than it is to see a learned Counsellor of Tommy 
 Mines playing the flute in the attitude of an opera- 
 dancer, who has just made a fine twirl-about. 
 Bless my soul ! " 
 
 Dr. Littlepump instantly caught up his flute, 
 and placed himself in his favorite attitude, in order 
 to show that it was not like an opera-dancer. But 
 it really was more like than ever. 
 
 At this, the children all set up a long hearty 
 laugh ; and when they were quite done, Dr. Lit- 
 tlepump laughed himself at which they all begun 
 again. Then the children, still laughing, formed 
 a circle, hand in hand, round Dr. and Mrs. Little- 
 pump, and Abraham Littlepump and Grctchen,
 
 90 THE GOOD-NATURED BEAR. 
 
 and danced round and round them. And they 
 sang the following verse which the Doctor accom- 
 panied on his flute. 
 
 " Oh, Doctor, tootle too, 
 
 Oh, Bear, lootle loo, 
 Oh, new-married pair, tootle tee ! 
 
 Of good luck, tootle, tootle, 
 
 And good friends, lootle lootle, 
 Oh, never despair, -footle fee! 
 Tootle, tootle, lootle, footle tootle tee!" 
 
 Abraham Littlepump now became so overjoyed, 
 that he was unable to contain himself. He hugged 
 them all round, and finally catching the Doctor in 
 his arms, made him get up behind him pick-a-back. 
 Then Mrs. Littlepump and Gretchen, joining hands 
 with the circle of children, they all danced round 
 the two brothers, singing the verse again, while the 
 Doctor flourished his flute in the air, like the con- 
 ductor of some great band of music. 
 
 "Oh, Doctor! Oh, Bear! 
 
 Oh, new-married pair ! 
 Of good luck and good friends, never despair ! " 
 
 THE HAPPY END. 
 
 Printed by F. SKILL, 6, Helmet Court, (opposite Somerset House,) Strand, London.
 
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