furrier had engaged to take as many silver sprigs from him as he
pleased, at sixteen shillings a dozen, provided he should send them
properly dressed, and in time to be shipped for China, where these
silver grey rabbit skins sold to the best advantage. As winter came on,
it was necessary to supply the warren with winter food: and Marvel was
much astonished at the multitude of unforeseen expenses into which
his rabbits led him. The banks of the warren wanted repair, and the
warrener's house was not habitable in bad weather: these appeared but
slight circumstances when Marvel made the purchase; but, alas! he had
reason to change his opinion in the course of a few months. The first
week in November, there was a heavy fall of snow; and the warren walls
should have been immediately cleared of snow, to have kept the rabbits
within their bounds: but Marvel happened this week to be on a visit in
Yorkshire, and he was _obliged_ to leave the care of the warren entirely
to the warrener, who was _obliged_ to quit his house during the snow,
and to take shelter with a neighbour: he neglected to clear the walls;
and Marvel upon his return home, found that his silver sprigs had
strayed into a neighbouring warren. The second week in November is the
time when the rabbits are usually killed, as the skins are then in full
prime: it was in vain that Marvel raised a hue and cry after his silver
sprigs; a fortnight passed away before one-third of them could be
recovered. The season was lost, and the furrier sued him for breach of
contract; and what was worse, Goodenough laughed at his misfortunes. The
next year he expected to retrieve his loss: he repaired the warrener's
house, new faced the banks, and capped them with furze; but the common
grey rabbit had been introduced into the warren, by the stragglers of
the preceding year; and as these grey rabbits are of a much more hardy
race than the silver sprigs, they soon obtained and kept possession
of the land. Marvel now pronounced rabbits to be the most useless and
vexatious animals upon earth; and, in one quarter of an hour, thoroughly