70 



THE RAT 



see. You have no idea what a comfort it is not to 

 be obhged to be always looking up above your head. 

 Any danger that came must come along the level, 

 and it was not in the least likely that anyone would 

 set traps, except round the edge (not that I knew 

 much about traps yet ; that was an excitement still 

 to come), so I gave a little chuckle of utter con- 

 tentment, and walked straight on into the very 

 middle, as if the whole place belonged to me. 



And it did belong to me in a way, because every- 

 one was so happy and contented in the midst of all 

 that plenty that we called it our field, and there 

 was no quarrelling at all : one part of the field was 

 as good as another, so that you just pitched your 

 camp where you pleased, and had a nice word to 

 say to all your neighbours. Being an ignorant 

 young rat, I thought that this state of things would 

 go on for a long time, and so I dug for myself a 

 comfortable hole under the shelter of a green tuft 

 of wild convolvulus, which put out long runners to 

 climb up the stalks of the corn ; and these soon hung 

 out pretty pink and white flowers, making quite a 

 charming screen to protect my new house from the 

 excessive heat of the sun. 



Hardly had I got my bachelor quarters nicely 

 finished, when what should I do but fall head over 



