By and by the little Jackal came dancing
home, happy and care-free,--BUT
looking all around. Presently, as he came
along, he saw that the ground was all
scratched up as if something very heavy
had been dragged over it. The little Jackal
stopped and looked.
"What's this? what's this?" he said.
Then he saw that the door of his house
was crushed at the sides and broken, as
if something very big had gone through it.
"What's this? What's this?" the little
Jackal said. "I think I'll investigate a
little!"
So he stood quite still and began to talk
to himself (you remember, it was a little
way he had), but loudly. He said,--
"How strange that my little House
doesn't speak to me! Why don't you
speak to me, little House? You always
speak to me, if everything is all right,
when I come home. I wonder if anything
is wrong with my little House?"
The old Alligator thought to himself
that he must certainly pretend to be the
little House, or the little Jackal would
never come in. So he put on as pleasant
a voice as he could (which is not saying
much) and said,--
"Hullo, little Jackal!"
Oh! when the little Jackal heard that,
he was frightened enough, for once.
"It's the old Alligator," he said, "and
if I don't make an end of him this time he
will certainly make an end of me.
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