ounded, blooming like
full white roses amidst the manure.

'Yes, yes,' gently said the priest, 'you have worked hard. It's very
nice now.'

Then he turned towards the wicket, but she stopped him.

'Do wait a bit. You shall see them all. You have no idea--' And so
saying, she dragged him to the rabbit house under the shed.

'There are young ones in all the hutches,' she said, clapping her hands
in glee.

Then at great length she proceeded to explain to him all about the
litters. He had to crouch down and come close to the wire netting,
whilst she gave him minute details. The mother does, with big restless
ears, eyed him askance, panting and motionless with fear. Then, in
one hutch, he saw a hairy cavity wherein crawled a living heap, an
indistinct dusky mass heaving like a single body. Close by some young
ones, with enormous heads, ventured to the edge of the hole. A little
farther were yet stronger ones, who looked like young rats, ferreting
and leaping about with their raised rumps showing their white scuts.
Others, white ones with pale ruby eyes, and black ones with jet eyes,
galloped round their hutches with playful grace. Now a scare would make
them bolt off swiftly, revealing at every leap their slender reddened
paws. Next they would squat down all in a heap, so closely packed that
their heads could no longer be seen.

'It is you they are frightened at,' Desiree kept on saying. 'They know
me well.'

She called them and drew some bread-crust from her pocket. The little
rabbits then became more confident, and, with puckered noses, kept
sidling up, and rearing against the netting one by one. She kept them
like that for a minute to show her brother the rosy down upon their
bellies, and then gave her crust to the boldest one. Upon this the whole
of them flocked up, sliding forward and squeezing one another, but never
quarreling. At one moment three little ones were all nibbling the same
piece of crust, but others darted away, turning to the wall so as to
eat in peace, while their mothers in the rear remained snuffing
distrustfully and refused the crusts.

'Oh! the greedy little things!' exclaimed Desiree. 'They would eat like
that till to-morrow morning! At night, even, you can bear them crunching
the leaves they have overlooked in the day-time.'

The priest had risen as if to depart, but she never wearied of smiling
on her dear little ones.

'You see the big one there, that's all white, with black ears--We