ot to
listen to that villain Reynard. You have no idea what a bad fellow he
is.'

"'What!' said the cat, blushing, 'do you dare to abuse your betters in
this fashion? I see very well you have a design on me. Go, this instant,
or--'

"'Enough, madam!' said the dog, proudly,--for he was very much
wounded--'you need not speak twice to me. I wish you good morning.'

"And he turned slowly away, and went under a tree, where he took up his
lodgings for the night. But the very next morning there was a great
excitement in the neighborhood. A stranger, of a very different style of
travelling from that of the dog, had arrived in the middle of the night,
and fixed his abode in a large cavern, hollowed out of a steep rock.
The noise he made, in flying through the air, was so great that he had
awakened every bird and beast in the parish; and such a twittering, and
crowing, and barking, and mewing, and growling, and roaring were never
heard in the night before, when honest folks are supposed to be
sleeping. Reynard, whose bad conscience never let him sleep very
soundly, put his head out of the window and perceived, to his great
alarm, that the stranger was nothing less than a monstrous griffin.

"You must know that the griffins are the richest beasts in the whole
world. They perfectly roll in diamonds--not to speak of any quantity of
marrow-bones; and that is the reason why, like misers, they keep so
close at home. Whenever it does happen that they go to the expense of
travelling, all the world is sure to know it, and talk about it.

"The old magpie was in the most delightful state of agitation. What
could the griffin want? she would give her ears if any body could get at
him to know, and, being determined to find out, she hopped up the rock,
and pretended to be picking up sticks for her nest.

[Illustration: "Hollo! you are the very Lady I want to see."]

"'Hollo, ma'am!' cried a very rough voice, and she saw the griffin
putting his head out of the cavern. 'Hollo! you are the very lady I want
to see; you know all the people about here, don't you?'

"'All the _best_ company, your lordship, I certainly do,' answered the
magpie, putting her head on one side, and dropping a very low courtesy.

"Then the griffin marched out, with great dignity, to smoke his pipe in
the open air; and, blowing the smoke in the magpie's face, in order to
set her quite at her ease, continued--

"'My dear madam, are there any respectable beasts of g