THE SQUIRREL, THE HARE AND THE LITTLE GREY RABBIT (5)

THE SQUIRREL, THE HARE AND THE LITTLE GREY RABBIT (5)

" Ah ! " cried he, " a Rabbit has gone this way, " and he ran along in front of her.

Little Grey Rabbit's heart banged and thumped as she followed a long way behind .

When he came to the brook he was puzzled, and Grey Rabbit watched.

At this side of the water the footprints went to toward the water's edge, but at the other side, too, they went toward the edge.

He scratched his whiskers.

" She must have tumbled in and been drowned," said he, and he went off down the atream, hunting and sniffing.

Grey Rabbit leapt over, ran to the house, upstairs and into bed, where she slept and slept till the birds began to sing.

" What Weasel has been round the house in the night, " said the Hedgehog as he delivered the milk the next morning.

" Whatever have you done with your tail ? " said the Hare, staring at her as she bustled about getting breakfast.

" Grey Rabbit, where is your tail ? " echoed the Squirrel, frowning at her.

" I gave it to Wise Owl, " said Grey Rabbit, blushing and hanging her head.

" Disgraceful, " said the Hare.

" Disgracefuller, " said the Squirrel, not to be outdone.
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not to be outdone：こちらも負けじと

☆
A big tear ran down into her tea, and splashed her cuffs.
She felt very unhappy, and wished Wise Owl would give her back her tail.

After dinner that day she took her basket and started off on her journey, leaving the two sitting dozing one on each side of the fire.
THey did not see her go, neither did they see the window open stealthily, and a black nose appear.

Little Grey Rabbit turned in another direction, and did not cross the brook.

She went down the lane, overhung with honeysuckle and blackberry bushes.

When she came to the village it was very quite, for the children were in school and labourers had gone back to work in the fields.
Dogs lay asleep on door-steps, and cats basked in the sun.

No one saw a little Grey Rabbit with a little Grey shadow slip down the road, hesitate a moment outside the village shop, and then run through the open door.

She gazed about her with wide-open eyes. Wonderful things lay all about. 
Buckets and flying-pans, pots and cheeses, mouse-traps and cherry brandy.

She was bewildered as she looked for the seeds.

Would she ever find them ?
Then she saw the picture of a carrot on a little packet, lying with other packets.

Success at last !



Here were lettuce and radishes, parsley,and cabbages.

Quickly she seized one of each kind. Then she saw a bag with a yellow bird on it, labelled " Canary Seed ", so she took that too.

" I will plant that seed and have some little yellow birds as well as carrots in the garden, " she thought. 

(つづく　5/8)