'All this... this stealing.'
Mr Fox stopped digging and stared at Badger as though he had gone completely dotty. 'My dear old furry frump,' he said, 'do you know anyone in the whole world who wouldn't swipe a few chickens if his children were starving to death?'
There was a short silence while Badger thought deeply about this.
'You are far too respectable,' said Mr Fox.
'There's nothing wrong with being respectable,' Badger said.
'Look,' said Mr Fox, 'Boggis and Bunce and Bean are out to kill us. You realize that, I hope?'
'I do, Foxy, I do indeed,' said the gentle Badger.
'But we're not going to stoop to their level. We don't want to kill them.'
'I should hope not, indeed,' said Badger.
'We wouldn't dream of it,' said Mr Fox. 'We shall simply take a little food here and there to keep us and our families alive. Right?'
'I suppose we'll have to,' said Badger.
'If they want to be horrible, let them,' said Mr Fox. 'We down here are decent peace-loving people.'
Badger laid his head on one side and smiled at Mr Fox. 'Foxy,' he said, 'I love you.'
'Thank you,' said Mr Fox. 'And now let's get on with the digging.'
Five minutes later, Badger's front paws hit against something flat and hard. 'What on earth is this?' he said. 'It looks like a solid stone wall.' He and Mr Fox scraped away the soil. It was a wall. But it was built of bricks, not stones. The wall was right in front of them, blocking their way.
'Now who in the world would build a wall under the ground?' asked Badger.
'Very simple,' said Mr Fox. 'It's the wall of an underground room. And if I am not mistaken, it is exactly what I'm looking for.'
15
Bean's Secret Cider Cellar
Mr Fox examined the wall carefully. He saw that the cement between the bricks was old and crumbly, so he loosened a brick without much trouble and pulled it away. Suddenly, out from the hole where the brick had been, there popped a small sharp face with whiskers. 'Go away!' it snapped. 'You can't come in here! It's private!'
'Good Lord!' said Badger. 'It's
Rat!'
'You saucy beast!' said Mr Fox. 'I should have guessed we'd find you down here somewhere.'
'Go away!' shrieked Rat. 'Go on, beat it! This is my private pitch!'
'Shut up,' said Mr Fox.
'I will not shut up!' shrieked Rat. 'This is my place! I got here first!'
Mr Fox gave a brilliant smile, flashing his white teeth. 'My dear Rat,' he said softly, 'I am a hungry fellow and if you don't hop it quickly I shall eat-you-up-in-one-gulp!'
That did it. Rat popped back fast out of sight. Mr Fox laughed and began pulling more bricks out of the wall. When he had made a biggish hole, he crept through it. Badger and the Smallest Fox followed him in.
They found themselves in a vast, damp, gloomy cellar. 'This is it!' cried Mr Fox.
'This is what?' said Badger. 'The place is empty'