all the treasure and all the bones that you once guarded so
faithfully.'

"'Oh, no, no!' said the faithful fellow; 'I want none of your treasure,
and, though I don't mean to be rude, your daughter may go to Guinea; I
will run over the whole world, but I will find my dear cousin.'

"'See her, then,' said the griffin, and the beautiful cat, more
beautiful than ever, rushed out of the cavern, and threw herself into
the dog's paws.

"It was all over with the fox; the cat might forgive some things, but to
be boiled alive for the griffin's soup--never!

"'And now, Mr. Reynard,' said the griffin, 'I wish you to understand
that I have no daughter; it was me you made love to. Knowing what a
tremendous tell-tale the magpie was, I amused myself with cheating her;
quite a fashionable amusement--don't you think so?'

"The fox made a dreadful struggle, and leaped on the ground, leaving his
tail behind him. It did not grow again in a hurry.

"'Sir,' said the griffin, as the beasts all roared with laughter at the
comical figure Reynard made, running into the wood, 'the dog has beaten
the fox, cunning as he is. Truth and honesty always come out right in
the end.'

"You may be sure that Beppo was very soon married to his beautiful
cousin the cat, and though dogs and cats, as a general thing, seldom
live happily together, these two proved an exception, and lived to a
good old age in perfect harmony."

"Oh! what a delightful story!" said Willie; "I wish you would read it
all over again; how glad I am the wicked fox was punished at last; and,
mamma, how mean it is to cheat! I intend to be like General Washington,
I will never tell a lie, or cheat anybody, not even a dog or a cat."

"I hope and pray that you never will, my little son," said his mother;
"I pity those poor children who are afraid to speak the truth; they
don't consider that one fault leads to many more. I think even this
story will show all who read it how much they lose by acting like
Reynard the fox, and, if they are sensible, they will not despise the
example of Beppo the dog, but resolve, after this, never to do a mean
thing, and never to tell a lie. But come, Willie, I see your father at
the gate; let us run a race, and see which will get to him first."

Willie sprang up, joyfully, and his mother and he stepped out of the
window and, with a "one for good measure, two to show, three to make
ready, and four to g-o-o,"--off they started, Willie's little legs
cle