“NO, you bad, naughty, long-tailed creature, I will not give you a single beam of light.”

The moon said this with a good deal of anger in its tone, and immediately became very sulky and stuffed its head behind a cloud.

“Ah, dear good moon,” said the fox, looking up with a pitiful face, “pray do not abuse my poor tail. Now do, like a good old thing, take that cloud off your face, and light up my path, for I have a long, long way to go to-night before I get home to my den. Besides I have to pay a visit to one or two farm-yards, in order to find a supper for myself and my family.”

The moment the moon heard of the fox’s family it put out its head and said, “Oh! you’ve got a family, have you?”