THE HARE IRRESOLUTE 9 



with her burden, and have her at their mercy. 

 Her position was a very difficult one ; to stay 

 was perilous, to shift was no less so. Uncertain 

 what to do for the best, she remained irresolute 

 till the stars began to peep ; then, hoping against 

 hope that the fox might not come after all, she 

 decided to remain. In any case she must go 

 and feed, yet setting-out time came and went 

 whilst the hare kept to the form. She could 

 not tear herself away from her young with 

 this danger hanging over them. A sickle moon 

 lit hill and plain and threw into relief the coping- 

 stone of the wall on which the eyes of the 

 anxious mother were fixed. Against the granite 

 she could not fail to see the dark form of 

 her enemy. The better to observe, the hare 

 raised herself on her hind legs ; and the leverets, 

 thinking she was going to play with them, stood 

 up too, resting their forefeet against her sides ; 

 but at a whisper from their mother they sank 

 down again into a sitting posture. The night 

 wore on, however, without sign of the fox, and 

 at length the hare, feeling somewhat reassured, 

 set out for the nearest feeding-ground. There 

 she browsed until midnight, when apprehension 

 for her young drove her back to the hill. 

 Although she found all well, she stayed close by 

 and fed on the rough herbage near the summit. 



B 2 



