"Mol ie," she said, "I have something very serious to say to you. This morning I saw you looking over the hedge that divides Animal Farm from Foxwood. One of Mr. Pilkington's men was standing on the other side of the hedge. And-I was a long way away, but I am almost certain I saw this-he was talking to you and you were al owing him to stroke your nose. What does that mean, Mol ie?"

"He didn't! I wasn't! It isn't true!" cried Mol ie, beginning to prance about and paw the ground.

"Mol ie! Look me in the face. Do you give me your word of honour that that man was not stroking your nose?"

"It isn't true!" repeated Mol ie, but she could not look Clover in the face, and the next moment she took to her heels and gal oped away into the field. A thought struck Clover. Without saying anything to the others, she went to Mol ie's stal and turned over the straw with her hoof. Hidden under the straw was a little pile of lump sugar and several bunches of ribbon of different colours.

Three days later Mol ie disappeared. For some weeks nothing was known of her whereabouts, then the pigeons reported that they had seen her on the other side of Wil ingdon. She was between the shafts of a smart dogcart painted red and black, which was standing outside a public-house. A fat red-faced man in check breeches and gaiters, who looked like a publican, was stroking her nose and feeding her with sugar. Her coat was newly clipped and she wore a scarlet ribbon round her forelock. She appeared to be enjoying herself, so the pigeons said. None of the animals ever mentioned Mol ie again.

Page 13

Orwell, George : Animal Farm

In January there came bitterly hard weather. The earth was like iron, and nothing could be done in the fields. Many meetings were held in the big barn, and the pigs occupied themselves with planning out the work of the coming season. It had come to be accepted that the pigs, who were manifestly cleverer than the other animals, should decide al questions of farm policy, though their decisions had to be ratified by a majority vote. This arrangement would have worked wel enough if it had not been for the disputes between Snowbal and Napoleon. These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible. If one of them suggested sowing a bigger acreage with barley, the other was certain to demand a bigger acreage of oats, and if one of them said that such and such a field was just right for cabbages, the other would declare that it was useless for anything except roots. Each had his own fol owing, and there were some violent debates. At the Meetings Snowbal often won over the majority by his bril ia nt speeches, but Napoleon was better at canvassing support for himself in between times. He was especial y successful with the sheep. Of late the sheep had taken to bleating "Four legs good, two legs bad" both in and out of season, and they often interrupted the Meeting with this. It was noticed that they were especial y liable to break into "Four legs good, two legs bad" at crucial moments in Snowbal 's speeches.