The Tree that Sat Down. Beverley Nichols

to read them backwards in a tiny cage, with no mirror to help him.

      ‘The steppes of Russia.’ The words floated through Bruno’s head – it was as though they were coming to his rescue. He had never been to Russia, but he knew that it was hundreds of miles away, and that none of the other animals would have been there either. Besides, he had learned a little about it because there had been a Russian dancer in the circus who had sometimes slept in a tent near his cage, and late at night he had heard her talking about her country, which seemed to be very vast and always covered with snow. He never quite understood what the steppes were; he thought they were a sort of staircase, and it seemed very odd to spend your life on a staircase. However, none of the other animals knew either, so it did not matter.

      He took the plunge.

      ‘Where do I come from?’ he said. ‘I come from Russia.’

      ‘From Russia!’ There was a great rustling and panting and squeaking and twittering from the animals; this was indeed exciting.

      ‘From Russia?’ repeated Mr Justice Owl. He blinked, very wisely, at Bruno. To tell the truth, Mr Justice Owl knew even less about Russia than Bruno, but he had no intention of betraying his ignorance. From the way he blinked, you would have said that he knew it inside out.

      ‘What part of Russia?’ he enquired.

      ‘The steppes,’ gasped Bruno.

      ‘The steps?’ echoed Mr Justice Owl. There was a rather sharp note in his voice. He wondered if Bruno was trying to make a fool of him. What did he mean – the steps? The doorsteps? The steps leading up to the attic? He was about to rebuke Bruno, when he stopped short, and a melancholy ‘Too-wit, too-woe’ echoed from his beak.

      For Bruno, exhausted by all he had gone through, had fallen into a dead faint.

       Chapter Seven

       BRUNO RECAPTURED

      AND NOW WE can go on with our story, which we left on a bright sunny morning when Bruno was lumbering through the wood on his way to The Shop in the Ford.

      Many years had passed since all the sad things which we have been recalling in the last two chapters, and today if you had seen Mr Bruno, you would have said that never in your life before had you met a bear so happy, so plump, and so prosperous; he had developed into one of the most respected citizens in the wood.

      ‘Top of the morning, Mr Bruno! … All the best, Mr Bruno! … My! Mr Bruno, you’re looking fine!’ Such were the cordial greetings that welcomed him, all along the way. Miss Fox gave an extra twitch to her brush when she saw him, and Mrs Hare gave a very gracious bow. And even Mr Peacock, who only spread his tail on very special occasions (except, of course, when he was by himself, standing by the edge of the lake watching his own reflection, which was so beautiful that sometimes he felt quite giddy and fell into the water), even Mr Peacock greeted Bruno by spreading his tail to its fullest extent.