IN HARD CASE 139 



** Mind, John, whatever you do, don't forget 

 the saffron ^ and a penn'orth of Christmas ^ " ; he 

 never even started when the man wrenched the 

 faggots from the furze-rick, though he sang the 

 Flora ^ tune to words of his own composition, 

 as he pulled at the stems. Three loads of faggots 

 the man bore to the house, the low sun which 

 caught the ridge of the barn and cote bathing 

 his face as he went past the farmyard gate. In 

 the quiet that reigned when at last the kitchen 

 door closed for the night behind him the hare 

 dropped to the yard, where he picked up every 

 blade of hay he could find before leaving for 

 his round. 



Rarely had he been at a greater loss to 

 know where to go ; it was of no use seeking 

 the moor, nothing but the unpalatable bark of 

 withy and alder awaited him there, the fields 

 with their scant herbage were out of his reach, 

 High Down was inaccessible since the last snow- 

 fall ; so without a goal to make for, he loped 

 along the bridle-track, where at least the going 

 was easy, and food, such as it was, to be had 

 in the furze that bordered it. He was in 

 hard case, yet not so hard as that of the preda- 



^ Saffron is much used in Cornwall for colouring cakes. 

 ^ A pennyworth of holly. 



3 On Flora day, the 8th of May, dancing takes place in the 

 streets of Helston. 



