for a moment or two benny badger looked at the deer mouse without saying a word. he told himself that here was a country person who couldn't ever have travelled much, or he would have known better than to make such a remark.... spoil the whole neighborhood indeed!... benny's lip twisted up in something like a sneer.

"don't you worry!" he snorted. "i don't believe you ever saw a first-class digger before. i'm not going to spoil the neighborhood. i'm improving it. i'm making a fine house here—prob[106]ably the finest there is for miles around."

the deer mouse appeared ashamed. of course he didn't like to seem stupid.

"but why do you dig in so many places?" he faltered.

"that's my way," benny badger told him. "as soon as i get one den well started i think i'd rather live somewhere else. but i don't mind beginning again because there's no better exercise than digging."

"no doubt!" the deer mouse agreed. "but i'm sure it would be much too violent for me."

he said no more, but looked on with a puzzled air until at last benny badger had actually dug in one place long enough to make a deep den.

when it was quite finished benny badger brushed the dirt off himself and turned to mr. deer mouse.

"come inside and see if my new house[107] isn't the finest one you ever saw!" he said.

for some reason mr. deer mouse did not seem eager to enter. to be sure, he thanked benny for the invitation, but he backed away a few steps and said that he thought he'd better not look at the new house that morning. "i—i haven't the time to spare," he mumbled.

benny badger couldn't understand that remark. the white-footed gentleman had had plenty of time to spend while watching him dig the den. and benny said as much, too.

"that's exactly the point," said the deer mouse. "i've spent so much time already that i've used it all up."

well, benny badger couldn't understand that either.

"used up all the time!" he cried scornfully. "isn't there plenty more where the other time came from?"[108]

"oh, to be sure—to be sure!" said the deer mouse, who seemed ready to agree to anything—except to benny's invitation. "but there is another reason why i mustn't visit your new home this morning: i'm hungry. i haven't had my breakfast yet."

suddenly benny badger remembered that he was hungry himself.

and as he stared at plump mr. deer mouse a certain idea came into his head. and he looked mr. deer up and down before he spoke.

"i haven't had my breakfast either," he said at last. "i'm ready for a good meal. come right in and join me!"

but something made mr. deer mouse say, "no, thank you!" joining a badger at breakfast! somehow that had a dangerous sound.