d's as
great an idiot as his wife."

The Blackcock looked very foolish, and was so much confused that he
did not know what to answer; but the Lady Tawny said kindly: "Thank
you, Blackcock, for coming. You mustn't let us keep you from your
dinner." And though it was not his dinnertime, he was so glad of the
excuse that he flew straight away to his wife, and told her all about
it. But all she said was: "So you went and told his lordship, did 'ee;
and what about me and my poults if the world cometh to an end? It's
like 'ee, it is, to go disturbing her blessed ladyship and her sweet
little son with your stories. But never a word for me, oh dear me no,
who slave for the poults morning, noon, and night; oh dear, oh dear,"
and so on for half an hour, till the Blackcock almost made up his mind
never to have a dust-bath again. For the poults had been rather
troublesome that morning, and the Greyhen's temper was a little upset
in consequence. Thus you see that the Blackcock had an unpleasant time
of it; and perhaps it served him right.

But except on this one occasion the Stag never bestirred himself;
behaving very lazily, as I have told you, and never opening his mouth
except to munch his food or talk of it. He never spoke a word to the
Calf, for old stags are not very fond of calves; and you may be sure
that the Calf never said a word to him, for he was terribly afraid of
him; nor was he far wrong, for an old stag, while his head is growing,
is almost as irritable as an old gentleman with a gouty toe. The only
difference between the two is this, that the stag can eat and drink as
much as he pleases, and do nothing but good to his head, while the
more a gouty old gentleman eats and drinks, the worse for his toe. And
it is just because they cannot eat and drink as much as they please
that gouty old gentlemen are more irritable than stags; and I for one
don't pity them, for a man is made to think of better things than his
food and drink.

But if he could not talk to the Stag, he made great friends with
Ruddy's Calf, who was the sweetest, gentlest little thing that you can
imagine. And though she was a little smaller than he was, she could do
nearly everything that he could. They ran races, and they tried which
could jump the higher and which could spring the farther, and she was
as fast and as active as he was. But one day he must needs make her
try which could butt the other the harder. So they butted each other
gently two or