"I dare say not," he answered, yawning. "That is, of course, unless I
had particularly promised _not_ to. In that case I suppose I'd have
to."

All three children looked very much puzzled.

"Would you mind telling us," asked Ann timidly, "what you meant when
you said _this_"--and she touched her hair--"was not your business?"

"Not at all," said the Hare cheerfully. "I meant that it was."

"But you said--"

"Oh, what I _said_ was, of course, untrue."

"Do you mean you tell stories?" Ann looked very much shocked, and so
did the others.

"Certainly," said the Hare, "that's my business, I'm a False Hare, you
know. Oh, dear, yes, I tell heaps and heaps of stories, as many as I
possibly can, only sometimes I forget and then something true will
slip out of me. Oh, it's a hard life, it is, to be thoroughly
untruthful every single day from the time you get up in the morning
till the time you go to bed at night--round and round the clock, you
know! No eight-hour day for me. Ah, it's a sad, sad life!" He sighed
very mournfully, at the same time winking at Rudolf in such a funny
way that the boy burst out laughing. "Take warning by me, young man,"
he continued solemnly, "and inquire very, _very_ carefully concerning
whatever business you go into. If I had known what the life of a False