or a while on a tree stump, and when he looked up saw a fox
coming towards him over the ploughed field. It was carrying a hare over
its shoulder so that it was nearly all hidden from him. At last, when it
was not twenty yards from him, it crossed over, going into the copse,
when Mr. Tebrick stood up and cried out, "Silvia, Silvia, is it you?"

The fox dropped the hare out of his mouth and stood looking at him, and
then our gentleman saw at the first glance that this was not his wife.
For whereas Mrs. Tebrick had been of a very bright red, this was a
swarthier duller beast altogether, moreover it was a good deal larger
and higher at the shoulder and had a great white tag to his brush. But
the fox after the first instant did not stand for his portrait you may
be sure, but picked up his hare and made off like an arrow.

Then Mr. Tebrick cried out to himself: "Indeed I am crazy now! My
affliction has made me lose what little reason I ever had. Here am I
taking every fox I see to be my wife! My neighbours call me a madman and
now I see that they are right. Look at me now, oh God! How foul a
creature I am. I hate my fellows. I am thin and wasted by this consuming
passion, my reason is gone and I feed myself on dreams. Recall me to my
duty, bring me back to decency, let me not become a beast likewise, but
restore me and forgive me, Oh my Lord."

With that he burst into scalding tears and knelt down and prayed, a
thing he had not done for many weeks.

When he rose up he walked back feeling giddy and exceedingly weak, but
with a contrite heart, and then washed himself thoroughly and changed
his clothes, but his weakness increasing he lay down for the rest of the
day, but read in the Book of Job and was much comforted.

For several days after this he lived very soberly, for his weakness
continued, but every day he read in the bible, and prayed earnestly, so
that his resolution was so much strengthened that he determined to
overcome his folly, or his passion, if he could, and at any rate to live
the rest of his life very religiously. So strong was this desire in him
to amend his ways that he considered if he should not go to spread the
Gospel abroad, for the Bible Society, and so spend the rest of his days.

Indeed he began a letter to his wife's uncle, the canon, and he was
writing this when he was startled by hearing a fox bark.

Yet so great was this new turn he had taken that he did not rush out at
once, as he would have