THE HEDGEHOG 21

wicked old Venomista. ‘Tell me all about
it from beginning to end.’

Then the boy. told the hedgehog the
whole of that day’s adventures, whilst the
nurse, who had listened to the conversation
which I have related with great astonish-
ment, kept curtseying all the time, and
saying ‘Yes,’ ‘That’s right,’ ‘Just so, sir,’
all the time, until he had finished the story.
Then she clasped her hands together and
exclaimed, ‘Oh, deary me, Mr. Hedgepig,
if so be as you can help us, pray do, for
whatever shall I do if I have to go back to
their Royal Majesties without my precious
little lambkins ??

It is one of the well-known peculiarities
of the hedgehog tribe to dislike immensely
being called ‘hedgepigs,’ a hog being, in
their estimation, the more noble title; the
animal therefore tossed his snout in the air
on being thus addressed, and turning away
from the nurse with contempt, spoke again
to the boy.

‘It is not easy,’ he said, ‘to conquer these
magic people, unless you know something
about magic yourself, which in your case is
not very likely. Luckily for you, however,