roof. Sometimes he
would go away for a day or so and he would never tell Gilly where he
had been. When he was at home he made himself the door-keeper of
Gilly's house. If any of the creatures made themselves disagreeable by
quarrelling amongst each other, or by being uncivil to Gilly, the
Weasel would just walk over to them and look them in the eyes. Then that
creature went away. Always he held his head up and if Gilly asked him
for advice he would say three words, "Have no fear; have no fear."

One day Gilly wanted to have a bunch of cherries with his dinner, and he
went to find the Crystal Egg so that he might wish for it. The Crystal
Egg was not in the place he had left it. He called the Weasel and the
two of them searched the house. The Crystal Egg was nowhere to be found.
"One of the creatures has stolen the Egg," said the Weasel, "but whoever
stole it I will make bring it back. I'll soon find out who did it." The
Weasel walked up to every creature that came in, looked him or her in
the eye and said, "Did you steal the Crystal Egg?" And every creature
that came in said, "No, Little Lion, I didn't steal it." Next day they
had examined every creature except the Fox. The Fox had not been in the
night before nor the night before that again. He did not come in the
evening they missed the Crystal Egg nor the evening after that evening.
That night the Weasel said, "As sure as there are teeth in my head the
Fox stole the Crystal Egg. As soon as there is light we'll search for
him and make him give the Egg back to us."

IX

The Weasel was right; it was Rory the Fox who had stolen Gilly's Crystal
Egg. One night, just as he was leaving Gilly's house, the moon shone
full upon the Crystal Egg. In the turn of a hand Rory the Fox had made a
little spring and had taken the Egg in his mouth. Then he slipped out by
the door as quick and as quiet as a leaf blown in the wind.

He couldn't help himself stealing the Egg, when the chance came. He had
had a dream about it. He dreamt that the Egg had been hatched and that
out of it had come the most toothsome bird that a Fox had ever taken by
the neck. He snapped his teeth in his sleep when he dreamt of it. The
Fox told his youngsters about the bird he had dreamt of--a bird as big
as a goose and so fat on the neck and the breast that it could hardly
stir from sitting. The youngsters had smacked their lips and
snapped their teeth. Every time he came home now they used to say to
hi