22 Lily and Water-Lily.

 

labouring along with a nut or a strawberry which
she would eat at a mouthful, and yet which took the
poor little creature all his time to bring safely to
port.

Sometimes the mouse would get tumbled over by
some flighty little squirrel or hasty rabbit, or by
some anxious hare flying from before a fox, and then
its precious burthen would go rolling down the path,
and the poor little mouse would go rolling after it,
terrified out of its wits, and with no thought but to
hide itself from sight.

All these things amused Pearl continually and
kept her constantly laughing.

Not that she would have let any one—squirrel, nor
hare, nor rabbit—hurt her little friend ; but there was
no harm in being amused by his efforts and his fears,
and he was not to blame for Mother Earth having
sent him out with such a very funny shape.

Pearl was really very fond of the mouse, and very
glad that it was not afraid of her.

For the mouse was afraid of Ruby, and afraid of