STUBBS THE BADGER 
207 
bogs, full cropped after the night's fishing, and the 
morning wind was heavy with the scent of elder 
flowers. The caverns of shadow around began 
to resolve themselves into cool green arcades, and 
the woodcock croaked during their aerial rompings 
overhead. The larks sang up on the hill, and the 
wood birds answered with a blast of song. The 
badgers were tired and dusty and sleepy. Grunter 
crept into the half-completed ' earth ' ; and Stubbs, 
after pausing to lick his sore pads, followed her. 
They lay down with grunts of content, snout to 
snout, stomachs upwards, and in two minutes 
were snoring comfortably. That was their house- 
warming. 
