Lady into Fox

by David Garnett

either.He called to them, but it was in vain, and at last he laid himself onthe mossy bank beside the earth and waited.

  For a long while, as it seemed to him, he lay very still, with closedeyes, straining his ears to hear every rustle among the leaves, or anysound that might be the cubs stirring in the earth.

  At last he must have dropped asleep, for he woke suddenly with all hissenses alert, and opening his eyes found a full-grown fox within sixfeet of him sitting on its haunches like a dog and watching his facewith curiosity. Mr. Tebrick saw instantly that it was not Silvia. Whenhe moved the fox got up and shifted his eyes, but still stood hisground, and Mr. Tebrick recognised him then for the dog-fox he had seenonce before carrying a hare. It was the same dark beast with a largewhite tag to his brush. Now the secret was out and Mr. Tebrick could seehis rival before him. Here was the real father of his godchildren, whocould be certain of their taking after him, and leading over again hiswild and rakish life. Mr. Tebrick stared for a long time at the handsomerogue, who glanced back at him with distrust and watchfulness patent inhis face, but not without defiance too, and it seemed to Mr. Tebrick asif there was also a touch of cynical humour in his look, as if he said:

  "By Gad! we two have been strangely brought together!"

  And to the man, at any rate, it seemed strange that they were thuslinked, and he wondered if the love his rival there bare to his vixenand his cubs were the same thing in kind as his own.

  "We would both of us give our lives for theirs," he said to himself ashe reasoned upon it, "we both of us are happy chiefly in their company.What pride this fellow must feel to have such a wife, and such childrentaking after him. And has he not reason for his pride? He lives in aworld where he is beset with a thousand dangers. For half the year he ishunted, everywhere dogs pursue him, men lay traps for him or menace him.He owes nothing to another."

  But he did not speak, knowing that his words would only alarm the fox;then in a few minutes he saw the dog-fox look over his shoulder, andthen he trotted off as lightly as a gossamer veil blown in the wind,and, in a minute or two more, back he comes with his vixen and the cubsall around him. Seeing the dog-fox thus surrounded by vixen and cubs wastoo much for Mr. Tebrick; in spite of all his philosophy a pang ofjealousy shot through him. He could see that Silvia had been huntingwith her cubs, and also that she had forgotten that he would come thatmorning, for she started when she saw him, and though she carelesslylicked his hand, he could see that her thoughts were not with him.

  Very soon she led her cubs into the earth, the dog-fox had vanished andMr. Tebrick was again alone. He did not wait longer but went home.

  Now was his peace of mind all gone, the happiness which he had flatteredhimself the night before he knew so well how to enjoy, seemed now but afool's paradise in which he had been living. A hundred times this poorgentleman bit his lip, drew down his torvous brows, and stamped hisfoot, and cursed himself bitterly, or called his lady bitch. He couldnot forgive himself neither, that he had not thought of the damneddog-fox before, but all the while had let the cubs frisk round him, eachone a proof that a dog-fox had been at work with his vixen. Yes,jealousy was now in the wind, and every circumstance which had been areason for his felicity the night before was now turned into a monstrousfeature of his nightmare. With all this Mr. Tebrick so worked uponhimself that for the time being he had lost his reason. Black was whiteand white black, and he was resolved that on the morrow he would dig thevile brood of foxes out and shoot them, and so free himself at lastfrom this hellish plague.

  All that night he was in this mood, and in agony, as if he had broken inthe crown of a tooth and bitten on the nerve. But as all things willhave an ending so at last Mr. Tebrick, worn out and wearied by thisloathed passion of jealousy, fell into an uneasy and tormented sleep.

  After an hour or two the procession of confused and jumbled images whichfirst assailed him passed away and subsided into one clear and powerfuldream. His wife was with him in her own proper shape, walking as theyhad been on that fatal day before her transformation. Yet she waschanged too, for in her face there were visible tokens of unhappiness,her face swollen with crying, pale and downcast, her hair hanging indisorder, her damp hands wringing a small handkerchief into a ball, herwhole body shaken with sobs, and an air of long neglect about herperson. Between her sobs she was confessing to him some crime which shehad committed, but he did not catch the broken words, nor did he wish tohear them, for he was dulled by his sorrow. So they continued walkingtogether in sadness as it were for ever, he with his arm about herwaist, she turning her head to him and often casting her eyes down indistress.

  At last they sat down, and he spoke, saying: "I know they are not mychildren, but I shall not use them barbarously because of that. You arestill my wife. I swear to you they shall never be neglected. I will payfor their education."

  Then he began turning over the names of schools in his mind. Eton wouldnot do, nor Harrow, nor Winchester, nor Rugby.... But he could not tellwhy these schools would not do for these children of hers, he only knewthat every school he thought of was impossible, but surely one could befound. So turning over the names of schools he sat for a long whileholding his dear wife's hand, till at length, still weeping, she got upand went away and then slowly he awoke.

  But even when he had opened his eyes and looked about him he wasthinking of schools, saying to himself that he must send them to aprivate academy, or even at the worst engage a tutor. "Why, yes," hesaid to himself, putting one foot out of bed, "that is what it must be,a tutor, though even then there will be a difficulty at first."

  At those words he wondered what difficulty there would be andrecollected that they were not ordinary children. No, they werefoxes--mere foxes. When poor Mr. Tebrick had remembered this he was, asit were, dazed or stunned by the fact, and for a long time he couldunderstand nothing, but at last burst into a flood of tearscompassionating them and himself too. The awfulness of the fact itself,that his dear wife should have foxes instead of children, filled himwith an agony of pity, and, at length, when he recollected the cause oftheir being foxes, that is that his wife was a fox also, his tears brokeout anew, and he could bear it no longer but began calling out in hisanguish, and beat his head once or twice against the wall, and then casthimself down on his bed again and wept and wept, sometimes tearing thesheets asunder with his teeth.

  The whole of that day, for he was not to go to the earth till evening,he went about sorrowfully, torn by true pity for his poor vixen and herchildren.

  At last when the time came he went again up to the earth, which he founddeserted, but hearing his voice, out came Esther. But though he calledthe others by their names there was no answer, and something in the waythe cub greeted him made him fancy she was indeed alone. She was trulyrejoiced to see him, and scrambled up into his arms, and thence to hisshoulder, kissing him, which was unusual in her (though natural enoughin her sister Angelica). He sat down a little way from the earthfondling her, and fed her with some fish he had brought for her mother,which she ate so ravenously that he concluded she must have been shortof food that day and probably alone for some time.

  At last while he was sitting there Esther pricked up her ears, startedup, and presently Mr. Tebrick saw his vixen come towards them. Shegreeted him very affectionately but it was plain had not much time tospare, for she soon started back whence she had come with Esther at herside. When they had gone about a rod the cub hung back and kept stoppingand looking back to the earth, and at last turned and ran back home. Buther mother was not to be fobbed off so, for she quickly overtook herchild and gripping her by the scruff began to drag her along with her.

  Mr. Tebrick, seeing then how matters stood, spoke to her, telling her hewould carry Esther if she would lead, so after a little while Silviagave her over, and then they set out on their strange journey.

  Silvia went running on a little before while Mr. Tebrick followed afterwith Esther in his arms whimpering and struggling now to be free, andindeed, once she gave him a nip with her teet
h. This was not so strangea thing to him now, and he knew the remedy for it, which is much thesame as with others whose tempers run too high, that is a taste of itthemselves. Mr. Tebrick shook her and gave her a smart little cuff,after which, though she sulked, she stopped her biting.

  They went thus above a mile, circling his house and crossing the highwayuntil they gained a small covert that lay with some waste fieldsadjacent to it. And by this time it was so dark that it was all Mr.Tebrick could do to pick his way, for it was not always easy for him tofollow where his vixen found a big enough road for herself.

  But at length they came to another earth, and by the starlight Mr.Tebrick could just make out the other cubs skylarking in the shadows.

  Now he was tired, but he was happy and laughed softly for joy, andpresently his vixen, coming to him, put her feet upon his shoulders ashe sat on the ground, and licked him, and he kissed her back on themuzzle and gathered her in his arms and rolled