【单选题】

A pilot would be most -------, if, on hearing of imminent bad weather, he sent forth a distress signal at a time too ------- to ascertain the reality of the danger.
A．(A) craven... premature

B．(B) hortatory... nonchalant
C．(C) pusillanimous ... belated
D．(D) timorous ... anodyne
E．(E) ignoble ... convenient