Then how
will you get anything to eat?"
Reddy Fox wiped his eyes on his coat sleeve and hobbled along as
best he could. Granny Fox would run a little way ahead to see
that the way was safe and then come back for Reddy. Poor Reddy.
He did his best not to complain, but it was such hard work. And
somehow Reddy Fox didn't believe that it was at all necessary. He
had been terribly frightened when he had disobeyed Granny Fox
that afternoon and put his head out the door, only to look right
into the freckled face of Farmer Brown's boy. He had ducked back
out of sight again too quickly for Farmer Brown's boy to shoot,
and now he couldn't see why old Granny Fox wanted to move that
very night.
"She's getting old. She's getting old and timid and fussy,"
muttered Reddy Fox, as he hobbled along behind her.
It seemed to Reddy as if they had walked miles and miles. He
really thought that they had been walking nearly all night when
old Granny Fox stopped in front of the worst-looking old fox
house Reddy had ever seen.
"Here we are!" said she.
"What! Are we going to live in that thing?" cried Reddy. "It
isn't fit for any respectable fox to put his nose into."
"It is where I was born!" snapped old Granny Fox. "If you want to
keep out of harm's way, don't go to putting on airs now.
"Who scorns the simple things of life
And tilts his nose at all he sees,
Is almost sure to feel the knife
Of want cut through his pleasant ease.
"Now don't let me hear another word from you, but get inside at
once!"
Reddy Fox didn't quite understand all Granny Fox said, but he
knew when she was to be obeyed, and so he crawled gingerly
through the broken-down doorway.
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