urbing your earth?" asked the Hind. "I hope the
Cubs are all well." Then the Vixen could not help stopping to say:
"Yes, they'm well. This is the last of mun. Twenty mile and more have
I gone back and 'vor with mun this blessed night. They was rather a
late litter, you see, and I was obliged to carry mun. But I'm not
tired, oh no, I am not tired--my lady." And she went on again doggedly
with her Cub, though they could see that she was so tired that she
could hardly move. And let me tell you that it was a great stretch of
civility for the Vixen to call the Hind "my lady," for Foxes are very
independent, and like a great many other people think that they must
show their independence by being uncivil; whereby they only prevent
others from seeing what brave, patient creatures they really are.

The very next morning they saw a new visitor come in, a grey old
person as big as the Vixen, with a long sharp nose, and a deal of
white about his face, a very little short tail, and four short clumsy
legs. He was waddling along slowly, and grumbling to himself: "'Tisn't
often that I spake, but spake I will. 'Tis mortal hard that he should
come and take my house. 'Tis my house, I made mun, and I digged mun.
'Tisn't right; 'tisn't rasonable."

"What is it, old Grey?" said the Hind.

The Badger looked up and stared. Then he said very slowly "Aw!"
drawing out the word till he could collect his wits. "Well, look 'ee,
'tis like this. Two days agone,--I think 'twas two days--the old
Dog-Fox--you know mun, he that hath so much white to his brush--well,
he cometh to me, and saith he, 'Brocky,' he saith--that's a name he
calleth me, Brocky, friendly like, though he warn't no friend o' mine
that I know of--Well, he saith, 'Brocky, I know of so pretty a nest of
Rabbits as a Badger could wish to see. I can't dig mun out,' he saith,
'but you can. Oh! what I would give to be able to dig like you,
Brocky!' he saith. 'Come 'long wi' me, and I'll show 'ee.' Well, now
I'll tell 'ee which way we went."

"No, never mind that," said the Hind, "we musn't keep you, you know."

"Aw!" said the Badger, "well, we come to the bury, and wonderful sweet
they rabbits did smell, sure enough. 'Now,' he saith, 'I'll leave
'ee.' And I digged the rabbits out; I forget how many there
was--eight or nine I think--I ate mun all up, I know, and very sweet
they was, I won't deny that. And them I went 'oom, but bless your
life, when I got there I couldn't go into mun. Oh!