The Cricket: the Burrow 

 The Cricket answers : 



" Comes cela! Vous me prenez pour 

 cruche! 

 Ce sont oreilles que Dieu fit." 



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The Hare insists : 



On les fera passer pour comes." x 



i( 



And that is all. What a pity that La Fon- 

 taine did not make the insect hold forth at 

 greater length! The good-natured Cricket 

 is depicted for us in a couple of lines 

 which already show the master's touch. No, 

 indeed, he is no fool: his big head might 

 have found some capital things to say. And 

 yet the Hare was perhaps not wrong to take 

 his departure in a hurry. When slander is 

 at your heels, the best thing is to fly. 



x "Fare thee well, good neighbour Cricket; from thy 



presence I must flee; 

 " Mine ears also will be taken for a pair of horns," 



said he. 

 "Horns, i' faith!" the Cricket answered. "Is thy 



servant mad or blind? 

 "Those are ears which thy Creator with His own 



hand hath designed!" 

 "Yet the world will one day call them horns," his 



fellow made reply, 

 "And ere that day dawn, my neighbour, I will bid 



this place good-bye." 



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