[Illustration: THE FOX AND THE CROW.]
A Crow having taken a piece of cheese out of a cottage window, flew up
into a high tree with it, in order to eat it; which a Fox observing,
came and sat underneath, and began to compliment the Crow upon the
subject of her beauty. 'I protest,' says he, 'I never observed it
before, but your feathers are of a more delicate white than any that
ever I saw in my life! Ah; what a fine shape and graceful turn of body
is there! And I make no question but you have a tolerable voice. If it
is but as fine as your complexion, I do not know a bird that can pretend
to stand in competition with you.' The Crow, tickled with this very
civil language, nestled and riggled about, and hardly knew where she
was; but thinking the Fox a little dubious as to the particular of her
voice, and having a mind to set him right in that matter, began to sing,
and in the same instant let the cheese drop out of her mouth. This being
what the Fox wanted, he chopped it up in a moment, and trotted away,
laughing to himself at the easy credulity of the Crow.