st of picks and spades, and barrows being
wheeled along planks, completely put the paperchase out of their heads,
so that they quite jumped when a voice just behind them panted, "Let me
pass, please." It was the hare--a big-boned, loose-limbed boy, with dark
hair lying flat on a very damp forehead. The bag of torn paper under
his arm was fastened across one shoulder by a strap. The children stood
back. The hare ran along the line, and the workmen leaned on their picks
to watch him. He ran on steadily and disappeared into the mouth of the
tunnel.

"That's against the by-laws," said the foreman.

"Why worry?" said the oldest workman; "live and let live's what I always
say. Ain't you never been young yourself, Mr. Bates?"

"I ought to report him," said the foreman.

"Why spoil sport's what I always say."

"Passengers are forbidden to cross the line on any pretence," murmured
the foreman, doubtfully.

"He ain't no passenger," said one of the workmen.

"Nor 'e ain't crossed the line, not where we could see 'im do it," said
another.

"Nor yet 'e ain't made no pretences," said a third.

"And," said the oldest workman, "'e's outer sight now. What the eye
don't see the 'art needn't take no notice of's what I always say."

And now, following the track of the hare by the little white blots of
scattered paper, came the hounds. There were thirty of them, and they
all came down the steep, ladder-like steps by ones and twos and threes
and sixes and sevens. Bobbie and Phyllis and Peter counted them as they
passed. The foremost ones hesitated a moment at the foot of the ladder,
then their eyes caught the gleam of scattered whiteness along the line
and they turned towards the tunnel, and, by ones and twos and threes and
sixes and sevens, disappeared in the dark mouth of it. The last one, in
a red jersey, seemed to be extinguished by the darkness like a candle
that is blown out.

"They don't know what they're in for," said the foreman; "it isn't so
easy running in the dark. The tunnel takes two or three turns."

"They'll take a long time to get through, you think?" Peter asked.

"An hour or more, I shouldn't wonder."

"Then let's cut across the top and see them come out at the other end,"
said Peter; "we shall get there long before they do."

The counsel seemed good, and they went.

They climbed the steep steps from which they had picked the wild cherry
blossom for the grave of the little wild rabbit, and reaching the t