The truth is, wise old Granny Fox knew that the very best thing she could do was to stay away from Farmer Brown"s for a long time. She knew that Reddy couldn"t go down there, because he was still too lame and sore to travel such a long way, and she hoped that by the time Reddy was well enough to go, he would have learned better than to do such a foolish thing as to try to show off by stealing a chicken in broad daylight, as he had when he brought all this trouble on them.
Down on the Green Meadows, the home of Granny and Reddy Fox had been on a little knoll, which you know is a little low hill, right where they could sit on their doorstep and look all over the Green Meadows. It had been very, very beautiful down there. They had made lovely little paths through the tall green meadow gra.s.s, and the b.u.t.tercups and daisies had grown close up to their very doorstep. But up here in the Old Pasture Granny Fox had chosen the thickest clump of bushes and young trees she could find, and in the middle was a great pile of rocks. Way in among these rocks Granny Fox had dug their new house. It was right down under the rocks. Even in the middle of the day jolly, round, red Mr. Sun could hardly find it with a few of his long, bright beams. All the rest of the time it was dark and gloomy there.
No, Reddy Fox didn"t like his new home at all, but when he said so old Granny Fox boxed his ears.
"It"s your own fault that we"ve got to live here now," said she. "It"s the only place where we are safe. Farmer Brown"s boy never will find this home, and even if he did he couldn"t dig into it as he did into our old home on the Green Meadows. Here we are, and here we"ve got to stay, all because a foolish little Fox thought himself smarter than anybody else and tried to show off."
Reddy hung his head. "I don"t care!" he said, which was very, very foolish, because, you know, he did care a very great deal.
And here we will leave wise Old Granny Fox and Reddy, safe, even if they do not like their new home. You see, Lightfoot the Deer is getting jealous. He thinks there should be some books about the people of the Green Forest, and that the first one should be about him. And because we all love Lightfoot the Deer, the very next book is to bear his name.