【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