ning with fever,' and he hung his
tongue out till you could nearly see the roots, and rolled his eyes,
till they nearly came out of the top of his head.

"'Is there no water here?' said Beppo, looking round.

"'Alas, no!--yes, now I think of it, there is some in that hole in the
wall; but it is so high I cannot climb in my weak state; and I dare not
ask you, whom I have injured so much.'

"'Don't mention it,' said Beppo; 'but the hole's very small, I could not
put my nose through it.'

"'I know that; but if you climb up on that stone, and thrust your paw
into the hole, you can dip it into the water, and so cool my poor
parched tongue. O! what a thing it is to have a bad conscience.'

"The good dog sprang upon the stone, and, getting on his hind legs,
thrust his fore paw into the hole, when, suddenly, Reynard pulled a
string that he had concealed under the straw, and Beppo's paw was
fastened up tight, in a running noose.

"'You villain,' said he, turning round; but the fox leaped up gayly from
the straw, and tying the string to a nail in the other end of the room,
walked out, crying: 'Good-bye, my dear friend, I hope you'll enjoy
yourself.' So he left the dog on his hind legs, to take care of the
house.

"Reynard found the cat waiting for him. It was nearly dark when they
came to the cave, but they could see the basket waiting for them; the
fox assisted the poor little cat into it. 'There is only room for one,'
said he; 'you must go first.' Up rose the basket; the fox heard a
piteous mew, and no more.

"'So much for the griffin's soup,' said he."

"Oh! what a cruel, wicked fellow!" said Willie, almost crying.

"Reynard waited for some time, when Miss Griffin, waving her claw from
the window, said cheerfully: 'All's right, my dear Reynard, my papa has
eaten his soup, and is now sound asleep: forty cannons going off at
once, would not wake him till he has slept off the boiled cat. Come and
help me to pack up; I should be sorry to leave a single diamond behind.'

"'So should I,' said the fox. 'Why! the door is shut! open it, beautiful
creature, to your adorer.'

"'Alas! my father has the key, you must come up by the basket; I will
let it down for you.'

"The fox did not like much to get into a basket, that had taken his
lady-love to be boiled, but the most cautious grow rash when money's to
be gained: and avarice can trap even a fox. So he jumped into the
basket, and went up in an instant. It rested just bef