The Blue-Haired Ogre 79

into a thicket of brambles, and there was a
poor hare caught in a snare. It looked at
him very piteously, and he knelt down, and
gently, gently unfastened the snare, took out
the little prisoner, held it to his breast to
warm its stiff limbs, and watched it hobble
away. But this had taken time, so that
when he stood up, the sun had nearly sunk.

‘That is over, then,”
he said sorrowfully ; “1
shall never catch the
- blue-haired ogre to-
day.”

Directly he had said
so he was answered by
_ a soft smothered furry
voice, and there by his
side, shaking all over, sat a most beautiful
white hare.

“Oh, yes, you will, you will,’ it said,
“though if you take my advice you will
run away while you can. Just beyond that
pine tree is the edge of the forest, and
if you wait there he will soon be coming.