"They were all fine, you said." "One finer day than usual the rabbit made a horrible discovery. The way it made the discovery was curious--may seem curious to us, at least--but the fact is, it suddenly noticed that the size of its front teeth had grown out of all proportion to the size of the island. Looking over its shoulder this fine day, it realised how absurdly small the island was in comparison with its teeth--and grasped the horrid truth. In a flash it understood what was happening. The island was getting wetter because it was also getting--_smaller_!" "Ugh! How beastly!" "Did it tell the others?" "It retired half-way down its hole and shouted out the news to the others in the hut." "Did they hear it?" "It warned them solemnly. But its teeth obstructed the sound, and the windings of its hole made it difficult to hear. The man, besides, was busy telling a story to the mouse, and the mouse, anyhow, was sound asleep at the bottom of his pocket, with the result that the only one who caught the words of warning was--the squirrel. For a squirrel's ears are so sharp that it can even hear the grub whistling to itself inside a rotten nut; and it instantly took action." "Ah! IT saved them, then?" "The squirrel flew from the man's shoulder where it was perched, balanced for a second on the top of his head, then clung to the ceiling and darted out of the window without a moment's delay. It crossed the island in a single leap, scuttled to the top of the tree, peered about over the diminishing landscape, and--" "Didn't it see the rabbit?" "And returned as quickly as it went. It bustled back into the hut, hopping nervously, and jerking its head with excitement. In a moment it was perched again on the man's shoulder. It carefully kept its bushy tail out of the way of his nose and eyes. And then it whispered what it had seen into his left ear." "Why into his left ear?" "Because it was the right one, and the other had cotton wool in it." "Like Aunt Emily!" "What did it whisper?" "The squirrel had made a discovery, too," continued the teller, solemnly. "Goodness! That's two discoveries!" "But what _did_ it whisper?"