vous old lady. Still, when he met a fox
one day at the further end of the pasture Billy was somewhat
frightened. But Mr. Fox seemed very friendly. They talked together
for a while. And then Mr. Fox said:

"Do you like surprises?

"I see you _do_ like them," Mr. Fox continued. "Well, you just
crawl inside that old stump over there. There's a hole in it, as
you see. And in there you'll find something to surprise you." Mr.
Fox stretched himself then. "I must go home now," he said. "I was
out late last night and I feel like taking a nap." So off he
trotted, with never a look behind him.

He was hardly out of sight before Billy Woodchuck hurried to the
old stump and crawled inside. But so far as he could see, it was
quite empty. And he was just about to leave when all at once it
grew dark. That was because Mr. Fox had come back and thrust his
head through the hole.

"Did you find it?" Mr. Fox asked him.

"No!" said Billy in a faint voice.

"Well, well!" said Mr. Fox. "I must be mistaken.... Yes, I know I
am. It was in another stump. Just step outside and I'll show you
which one." The hole was too small for him to squeeze through. If
it had been bigger he would not have bothered to ask Billy to come
out.

Mr. Fox pulled his head back and waited. But Billy Woodchuck did
not appear.

Soon Mr. Fox took another look inside the hollow stump.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Aren't you coming?"

Then _he_ had a surprise. For Billy Woodchuck was gone. Mr. Fox saw
that the old stump was empty.

He thought that Billy must have used magic, to leave that place and
run away under his very eyes. For you may be sure that Mr. Fox had
kept a close watch on the hole all the time. And he told all his
friends that Billy Woodchuck knew a way to make himself
invisible--a word which means that _nobody could see him_.

Later, when Billy heard what people were saying about him, he only
looked wise and said nothing.

But he had been sadly frightened when Mr. Fox peeped inside the old
stump. And he had made up his mind at once that he would not come
out and be caught. He knew better than that. For now he believed
everything his mother had told him about foxes.

As his bright eyes looked about his prison they soon spied a small
hole which seemed to lead down into the ground. It was large enough
for him to enter. And so he went right down out of sight.

Billy found himself in a long tunnel, which made him think of one
that led to h