The Orange Fairy Book

the other to the west. The villagers were quiet, hard-working folk, who toiled in the fields all day, and in the evening set out for home when the be

n shone down upon the white road, a gre

needs to be a greyhound to catch them, and I am not so young as I was! If I could only dine off that fox I saw a fortnight ago, curled up into a delicious hairy ball, I should ask nothing better; I would have eaten her then, but unluckily her husband was lying beside her, and one kno

the mind of the wolf, the very fox he had been

s and eggs it is the sweetest of all music. As sure as there is a sun in heaven I will have some of them this night, for I have grown so thin that my very bones rattle, and my poor babies are crying f

s somewhat checked when he noticed how thin she was. The fox’s quick ears heard the sou

t a strange place to meet in

eedily, ‘at least, as well as one can be when one is very hungry. But what i

he fox, ‘and what you say is quite true

enough for me; for “to the

ing! I’m sure you are n

d the wolf, opening his huge m

’ exclaimed the fox,

do is to make my supper off you, in

e fox lightly, but never removing her eye from the wol

nt to joke,

that you might eat me to the very last morsel and

st people are always the h

rue that i

ke in the wolf rudely; ‘let us get to the point, and th

d the fox, putting her tail to her eyes, b

f, doggedly; ‘and you know,’ he added wi

t to your satisfying your appetite at my expense. But if the fox resi

my time, for I can’t wait muc

courtyard. By the well hang two buckets on a pole that were used, in former days, to draw up water. For many nights I have crept down to the palace, and have lowered myself in the bucket, bri

s may be all fi

hem!’ laughed the fox. ‘And even if they wer

to escape or play any tricks you are reckoning without your hos

n the sky. The wolf and the fox crept softly along, when suddenly they stopped and looked at each other; a savoury

u?’ asked the wolf in a whispe

come out to see if anything was the matter.’ And she sign

e bacon was eaten up and there was no smell to excite them. Then th

and jump over the wall on the other side before he manages to spring over this one.’ And she quickene

ou going to

the fox, much vexed at

h you would jump better,’ said the wolf, giving a

g all that might happen if the fox carried out her threat, gave a signal

uckets suspended from a pole, just as the fox had described it. The two thieves dragged themselves noiselessly along the wall till they were opposite the well, and by stretching

huge cheese about the size of a mill wheel. Look

his eyes glistening greedily, for he imagined that t

at have you to say?’ and

I mean a fox — of your

that bucket and eat yo

! no! The person who goes down in the bucket will be you!

greatest pleasure,’ answered the fox

will be the worse for you,’ continued the wolf. B

e!’ she said sadly. And

m of the well, and found that the water

ht,’ cried she, turning towards the wolf,

d bring it up,’ c

weighs more than I

ring it in two bits,

x. ‘You will have to come down yoursel

o come down?’ i

d! Get into the other bucket t

mbed into it. As he weighed at least four times as much as the fox the bucket went do

an to speak like an angry wolf, but was a little comforte

fox, who in her turn was leaning over the p

am taking it home to my babies, who are

there to hear this insult, for she had gone off to a neighbouring fo

ems getting cloudy, and if there should be heavy rain the other bucket

es, por Antonio de Tr