"This is monstrous," said King Nobel when he had heard Tybert's piteous
tale. "It is no use paltering any longer. We must burn this caitiff's
castle about his ears."
"One moment, Sire," said Blaireau the Badger, who was a great friend of
Reynard's. "Our ancient laws demand that any person accused of crime
shall be called three times before extreme measures are taken against
him. Now Reynard has only been called twice. I propose, therefore, that
he be given one more chance to render himself peacefully before your
Majesty, and to defend himself. There are two sides to every story, and
so far we have only heard one."
"That is all very well," said the King, "but who will be the messenger?
It seems to me that the experiences of the other two will be little
encouragement for a third."
"If no one else will go," answered Blaireau, "I will go myself. Reynard
has been a very good friend of mine in the past, and I may be able to
appeal to his better self."
"I doubt it," said the King; "but go by all means, and bring him back
if you can. Should you fail, I will batter down his castle stone by
stone."
So Blaireau went off on his mission, and arriving at the château, found
Reynard in the midst of his family.
"Look here, uncle," said he, "there must be an end to all nonsense. The
King is at the end of his patience, and unless you obey his commands he
is determined to stick at nothing with you. Tybert and Bruin are both
badly knocked about, and the sympathy of all the animals is with them.
But for my pleadings the King would have sent an army to burn your
castle about your ears. Be sensible now, and come back quietly with me.
You have wits enough to defend yourself against all accusations and
need not fear the issue. I tell you frankly, delay will be dangerous."
[Illustration: "TYBERT AND BRUIN ARE BADLY KNOCKED ABOUT"]
"Ah," said Reynard, "if those others had only spoken to me as you
have spoken, my dear nephew, things would have been very different.
They were insolent and they paid the price, but nobody shall say that
Reynard the Fox was impervious to good counsel. Of course I will go
with you--the sooner the better. I have no fear of being able to
silence my calumniators. The King can't live without me--he knows it
very well, and that fact alone will provide him with a good motive for
giving me a free pardon."
Then Reynard took a tender farewell of Hermeline, his wife, and
Reynkin, his eldest son, and all the other children, and set off with
Blaireau towards the King's Court.
On the way Reynard said: "My dear Blaireau, this is a very solemn
moment of my life! I cannot help feeling that I have not, perhaps,
always lived as righteously as I might have done. It will relieve my
mind somewhat if I might make confession of some of the most heinous of
my crimes. Will you hear me?"
[Illustration: "AND CAUSED HIM TO JUMP AT LEAST TWENTY FEET INTO THE
AIR"]
"Certainly," answered Blaireau. "I am glad to hear you have a contrite
heart, uncle. Speak on by all means. Confession is the first step
towards repentance."
"I have been a sad sinner," Reynard went on. "My heart fails me when I
think of all the misery I have caused! I weep for the poor Bear, whose
nose and paws are skinless because of me, and for the Cat, who suffered
a terrible beating at the hands of the farmer. Then there was the
Wolf--did I ever tell you about the Wolf?"
"No," said Blaireau, "you did not."
"Well," continued Reynard, "the Wolf and I were one day walking along
the road when we came to a monastery. It was the time of evensong, and
the sound of the bells made such a sweet music in the air that I felt
my soul grow full of enthusiasm. 'Ah,' said I, 'if I were only one of
the monks in that monastery, with what joy would I sound the bells!'
Isengrim thought the idea a splendid one, and wished to carry it into
practice, so, as he was not a monk, I took it upon myself to introduce
him into the monastery at dead of night. There I tied him to the
bell-rope and bade him pull, for the good of his soul. He pulled--ah,
nephew, how enthusiastically he pulled! The bells rang as they had
never rung before, and all the monks in the monastery came running to
see what was the matter. Isengrim would have run away if he could, but
alas, I had tied him so firmly to the rope that he could not escape,
and he got a sound beating for his pains.
"Another time, still under the influence of his monastic ideas,
Isengrim proposed to me that I should shave his head. I agreed, and
when I had him in the chair, to my eternal shame be it said, I planted
a burning firebrand on his pate, and caused him to jump at least twenty
feet into the air. Ah, I am a miserable sinner." And Reynard broke into
sobs and lamentations.
"Never mind," said Blaireau consolingly, "since you are truly
repentant, all will be forgiven you. See, there are the towers of the
King's palace. We shall soon be there. Get ready to make your speech of
defence, for you will need all your eloquence this day."