llow ran off
as fast as he could, to see what was the matter with the fox.

"'Oh dear! Oh murder!' cried Reynard, 'what shall I do, what shall I do?
my poor little sister has gotten into this hole, and I can't get her
out; she'll certainly be smothered,' and he burst out a howling again,
more piteously than before.

"'But, my dear Reynard,' said Beppo, 'why don't you go in after your
sister?'

"'Ah! oh! you may well ask that,' said the fox; 'but in trying to get
in, don't you perceive that I have sprained my back, and can't stir? O
dear me! what shall I do if my poor little sister gets smothered?'

"'Pray don't vex yourself,' answered Beppo, 'I'll get her out in an
instant;' and with that he forced himself, with great difficulty, into
the hole.

"No sooner did the fox see that poor Beppo was fairly in, than he rolled
a great stone to the mouth of the hole, and fitted it so tight that
Beppo, not being able to turn round and scratch against it with his fore
paws, was made a close prisoner, poor fellow.

"'Ha, ha,' cried the wicked fox, laughing, outside; 'amuse yourself with
my poor little sister, while I go and call you all sorts of bad names,
to your cousin the cat.'

"Of course you know that the poor little sister was not in the hole; it
was a mean falsehood of Reynard's, and the bad fellow trotted off, never
troubling his head what became of the poor dog.

"When he arrived near the cat's house, he thought he would first pay a
visit to a friend of his, an old magpie, that lived in a tree, and knew
every thing about every body. 'For,' thought Reynard, 'I may as well
know the weak side of Mrs. Fox that is to be, before we are married.'

"'Why, how do you do?' said the magpie, 'what brought you so far from
home?'

"'Upon my word,' said the fox, laying his paw on his heart, 'nothing so
much as the pleasure of seeing your ladyship, and hearing those
agreeable stories which your ladyship tells so delightfully; but, to
tell you a great secret--be sure it don't go further.'

"'Oh, certainly not! on the word of a magpie.'

"'Ah! of course, I should have recollected that a magpie never tells
secrets,' said the fox, ironically, 'but, as I was saying, you know her
majesty the lioness.'

"'Certainly,' said the magpie, with an air of great importance.

"'Well, she was pleased to fall in--that is to say, to--to--take a fancy
to your humble servant, and the lion grew so jealous that I had to run
like a lamplighter to