? It seemed as if I
couldn't put one paw before another, and for two or three minutes it
looked as if I'd go home for supper with Mr. Fox. How he got out of
the scrape with the 'Squire and Mr. Weasel I couldn't guess, except
that those two were so busy with each other that he contrived to slip
off quietly; but it didn't make very much difference to me just how it
happened, for I had troubles of my own to look after.

"One thing was certain: that rascally old fox would have to do some
digging before he could get at us, and I ran back to Mrs. Rabbit, who
had pulled herself together a bit, holding her gently by the ears as I
explained what was going on."

At this point Bunny stopped as if overcome by sad thoughts, and
stroked his whiskers softly with one paw. To have broken in on his
train of thought just then would have been downright cruelty;
therefore it seemed necessary to wait until he was ready to continue
the painful story.

CHAPTER V

A MEETING OF THE CLUB

Mr. Bunny Rabbit remained silent a long while, as if occupied with
painful thoughts, although in view of what he said later, it was
difficult to understand why he should have been sad, for there have
been but few of his family who, having received a visit from Mr. Fox,
live to tell the tale.

Then he continued:

"Mrs. Bunny was so frightened by what I told her that it looked very
much as if she would die of fright; but Sonny Bunny and I rubbed her
ears hard, until we finally brought her around to that point where she
was able to look danger in the face as one of our kind should, but, I
am sorry to say, seldom does.

"'If you could prevent the old robber from getting in for a time,
Sonny and I might be able to dig out at the other end,' she said at
length, and I fancied her idea was a good one; but how it might be
possible to keep Mr. Foxy Fox back was a hard question to answer.

"However, it was a case of putting my best foot forward, and I crept
back down the hallway, so frightened that I had the hardest kind of
work to walk straight. The murdering old scoundrel was scratching dirt
at a lively rate when I came as near the front door as I dared, and it
didn't take more than half an eye to see that he'd soon be able to get
considerably more than his nose inside.

"Then the idea came to me that I might do a little scratching, and,
turning around until my tail was pointed straight for the front door,
I kept my hind feet at work till Foxy began