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the street. As she was about to knock, Mr Woodchuck opened his door. "Why, how do you do," he said. "I was just coming back to your house. Is dinner ready?"
"Yes, but you'll have nothing of it. I've just withdrawn my invitation!" said Miss Chipmunk coming into his house. There, in Mr Woodchuck's sitting room she saw her missing things.
4. "How dare you steal my belongings!" she shouted him. "You are the strangest and most ungrateful Thanksgiving guest I have ever invited to my house!"
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Mr Woodchuck looked puzzled. "I don't understand," he said. "You gave those things to me. You told me to take a seat, have a chair, and help myself to some books. So I did."
Miss Chipmunk blinked her bright eyes. Then she began to laugh. "Oh, you did misunderstand! When I asked to have a chair and take a seat, I meant that you were to sit down. When I told you to help yourself to some books I expected you to look at them."
"Well, how about that," smiled Mr Woodchuck. "Where I come from, folks always ask you to sit down when they want you to sit, and when they ask you to take, have or help yourself to something they mean exactly that. We could have become enemies just because we didn't understand what the other one meant. Words can be very tricky and touchy things."
"Sure, they certainly can," Miss Chipmunk agreed.
Then the two neighbours carried Miss Chipmunk's belongings back to her parlour. When they had finished the job, Miss Chipmunk led Mr Woodchuck to their beautiful Thanksgiving meal.
She chose her words carefully. "Please, sit down and eat everything you wish."
"Don't mind if I do," nodded Mr Woodchuck. "And a happy Thanksgiving to you, Miss Chipmunk!"
"A happy Thanksgiving to you," she replied. Now that she understood him Miss Chipmunk decided he wasn't so strange at all.
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