e black kettle spinning over the ground
at a great pace. Very much disappointed, he was just going to turn away,
when he saw the kettle stop close to the little brick house, and in a
moment later Blacky jumped out of it and escaped with the kettle into
the house, when he barred and bolted the door, and put the shutter up
over the window.

'Oho!' exclaimed the fox to himself, 'you think you will escape me that
way, do you? We shall soon see about that, my friend,' and very quietly
and stealthily he prowled round the house looking for some way to climb
on to the roof.

In the meantime Blacky had filled the kettle with water, and having put
it on the fire, sat down quietly waiting for it to boil. Just as the
kettle was beginning to sing, and steam to come out of the spout,
he heard a sound like a soft, muffled step, patter, patter, patter
overhead, and the next moment the fox's head and fore-paws were seen
coming down the chimney. But Blacky very wisely had not put the lid
on the kettle, and, with a yelp of pain, the fox fell into the boiling
water, and before he could escape, Blacky had popped the lid on, and the
fox was scalded to death.

As soon as he was sure that their wicked enemy was really dead, and
could do them no further harm, Blacky started off to rescue Browny and
Whitey. As he approached the den he heard piteous grunts and squeals
from his poor little brother and sister who lived in constant terror of
the fox killing and eating them. But when they saw Blacky appear at the
entrance to the den their joy knew no bounds. He quickly found a sharp
stone and cut the cords by which they were tied to a stake in the
ground, and then all three started off together for Blacky's house,
where they lived happily ever after; and Browny quite gave up rolling
in the mud, and Whitey ceased to be greedy, for they never forgot how
nearly these faults had brought them to an untimely end.

HEART OF ICE

Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who were foolish beyond
all telling, but nevertheless they were vastly fond of one another. It
is true that certain spiteful people were heard to say that this was
only one proof the more of their exceeding foolishness, but of course
you will understand that these were not their own courtiers, since,
after all, they were a King and Queen, and up to this time all things
had prospered with them. For in those days the one thing to be thought
of in governing a kingdom was t