82 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



watched from the tree with an untriumphant 

 curiosity. When at last that terrible and 

 despairing head had vanished, and nothing 

 remained but a long convulsion of the mud, 

 the racoon came daintily down from his post 

 of observation, and examined the remains of 

 the hornets' nest. It was crushed and pounded 

 quite too flat to be of any further interest to 

 him, so, after a disdainful wrinkling of his 

 fine black nose, he tripped away to seek again 

 the world to which he belonged the world of 

 free airs, and dancing leaves, and clamouring 

 waters, and bright, swift, various life, and 

 yellow moonlight over the fields of corn. 



