BILLY AND HANS 



The attitudes they took in their sleep 

 were so pretty that my daughter made 



But Billy had a remarkable hearing, and 

 even when asleep would recognise the sound 

 of the nut-cracker, and, grunting with 

 pleasure, rouse himself and come out of the 

 nest, take a nut and greedily eat it, paring 

 off the hull with his teeth before commenc- 

 ing to eat. Hans was slower to leave his 

 comfortable bed, and would scold and mutter 

 for some time before he came out, but when 

 Billy had reached his second nut, Hans 

 would arrive, claiming his share of the feast. 

 He was not so greedy as Billy, and often 

 refused the nut after coming out for it, and 

 went back scolding as if at having been 

 disturbed unreasonably. 



" The tastes of the two were very different. 

 Hans was particularly fond of pomegranate, 

 and would gnaw away the bitter rind to get 

 at the kernels within. Billy, refusing pome- 

 granates, would gladly eat apples, which 

 Hans never touched. Neither would eat 

 strawberries, which squirrels are accused of 

 stealing." 



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