very dull. He lay
with his head between his paws, and, without moving a muscle, rolled his
eyes round and round, now gazing up at Tattine, and then at his mother,
trying to be happy though quiet. Finally he stretched himself, got on
his feet, cocked up his ears, and came and stood in front of Betsy,
and although not a sound was heard, he said, so that Betsy perfectly
understood him, "I can't stand this any longer. If you have any love for
me do please come for a run."

Then Betsy took one long stretch and with motherly self-sacrifice
reluctantly got up, prepared to humor this lively boy of hers. Suddenly
Doctor craned his head high in the air, and gave a little sniff, and
then Betsy craned her head and sniffed. Then they stole as stealthily
away as though stepping upon eggs, and Tattine never knew that they had
gone. It was no stealthy treading very long, however. No sooner had they
crossed the roadway than they made sure of the scent they thought they
had discovered, and made one wild rush down through the sumach and
sweet-fern to the ravine. In a few moments it was one wild rush up again
right to the foot of Tattine's apple-tree, and Tattine looked down to
see Doctor--oh, could she believe her two blue eyes!--with a dear little
rabbit clinched firmly between his teeth, and his mother (think of it,
his mother!) actually standing proudly by and wildly waving her tail
from side to side, in the most delighted manner possible. As for
Tattine, she simply gave one horrified little scream and was down
from the tree in a flash, while the scream fortunately brought Maggie
hurrying from the house, and as Maggie was Doctor's confidential friend
(owing to certain choice little morsels, dispensed from the butler's
pantry window with great regularity three times a day), he at once, at
her command, relaxed his hold on the little jack-rabbit. The poor little
thing was still breathing, breathing indeed with all his might and main,
so that his heart thumped against his little brown sides with all
the regularity of a Rider Engine. Tattine's first thought was for the
rabbit, and she held it close to her, stroking it with one little brown
trembling hand and saying, "There! there! Hush, you little dear; you're
safe now, don't be frightened! Tattine wouldn't hurt you for the world."
Her next thought was for Doctor, and she turned on him with a torrent of
abuse, that ought to have made the hair of that young M.D. stand on end.
"Oh, you cruel