So he went to work and made a little tunnel off one side just big
enough for him to squeeze into. He worked very hard and very fast, and
by the time Mr. Badger and Mr. Fox returned, Mr. Mole was at the end
of a long tunnel, so far from the hole he had first dug that he knew
it would take them a long time to dig him out, even if they noticed
his tunnel.
"But they didn't. They dug down to the bottom of his hole and then,
because they didn't find him there, they straightway fell to
quarreling, each blaming the other for suggesting such a lot of hard
work for nothing. Finally they went away, still calling each other
names, and from that day to this, Foxes and Badgers have never been
friends.
"Mr. Mole was very thankful for his narrow escape, and it set him to
thinking. If he had a lot of these underground tunnels, no one would
be able to catch him. It was a splendid idea! He went to work on it at
once. And then he made a discovery--such a splendid discovery! There
was plenty of food to eat right down under ground--worms and
grubs--all he needed. After that, Mr. Mole spent all his time in his
tunnels and seldom put his nose outside. He was safe, and he was
comfortable, and he could always find something to eat by digging for
it.
"Little by little his old neighbors forgot all about him. Because he
had little use for them, his eyes grew smaller and smaller, and when
he did come up into the light, they hurt him so that he was glad to go
back into the dark again.
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