rt legs!" said the Hare
contemptuously. "But still, since you have such a particular wish, I
have no objection to try. What shall the wager be?"

"A louis d'or," replied the Hedgehog.

"Done!" said the Hare, "and it may as well come off at once."

"No! not in such great haste, if you please," said the Hedgehog; "I am
not quite ready yet; I must first go home and freshen up a bit. Within
half-an-hour I will return to this place."

Thereupon the Hedgehog hurried off, leaving the Hare very merry. On his
way home the former thought to himself, "Mr. Hare is very haughty and
high-minded, but withal he is very stupid, and although he thinks to
beat me with his long legs, I will find a way to defeat him." So, as
soon as the Hedgehog reached home, he told his Wife to dress herself at
once to go into the field with him.

"What is the matter?" asked his Wife.

"I have made a wager with the Hare, for a louis d'or, to run a race with
him, and you must be witness."

"My goodness, man! are you in your senses!" said the Wife, "do you know
what you are about? How can you expect to run so fast as the Hare?"

"Hold your tongue, Wife; that is my affair. Don't you reason about men's
business. March, and get ready to come with me."

As soon, then, as the Hedgehog's Wife was ready they set out together;
and on the way he said, "Now attend to what I say. On the long field
yonder we shall decide our bet. The Hare is to run on the one side of
the hedge and I on the other, and so all you have to do is to stop at
one end of the hedge, and then when the Hare arrives on the other side
at the same point, you must call out, 'I am here already.'"

They soon came to the field, and the Hedgehog stationed himself at one
end of the hedge, and his Wife at the other end; and as soon as they had
taken their places the Hare arrived. "Are you ready to start?" asked the
Hare. "Yes," answered the Hedgehog, and each took his place. "Off once,
off twice, three times and off!" cried the Hare, and ran up the field
like a whirlwind; while the Hedgehog took three steps and then returned
to his place.

The Hare soon arrived at his goal, as he ran all the way at top speed,
but before he could reach it, the Hedgehog's Wife on the other side
called out, "I am here already!" The Hare was thunderstruck to hear this
said, for he thought it really was his opponent, since there was no
difference in the voices of the Hedgehog and his Wife. "This will not
do!" though