“And when Bruno opened the hamper again, what do you think he saw?” (“Only _two_ Foxes!” Bruno cried in a great hurry.) “You shouldn’t tell it so quick. However, he _did_ see only _two_ Foxes. And he said ‘Eldest little Fox, have you been eating the youngest little Fox?’ And the eldest little Fox said ‘No no no!’ ‘Second little Fox, have _you_ been eating the youngest little Fox?’ And the second little Fox did its very best to say ‘No no no!’ but it could only say ‘Weuchk! Weuchk! Weuchk!’ And when Bruno looked into its mouth, it was half full of Bread, and half full of Fox!” (Bruno said nothing in the pause this time. He was beginning to pant a little, as he knew the crisis was coming.)
“And when he’d got nearly home, he looked once more into the hamper, and he saw——”
“Only——” Bruno began, but a generous thought struck him, and he looked at me. “_Oo_ may say it, _this_ time, Mister Sir!” he whispered. It was a noble offer, but I wouldn’t rob him of the treat. “Go on, Bruno,” I said, “you say it much the best.” “Only—but—_one_—Fox!” Bruno said with great solemnity.
“‘Eldest little Fox,’” Sylvie said, dropping the narrative-form in her eagerness, “‘you’ve been _so_ good that I can hardly believe _you’ve_ been disobedient: but I’m _afraid_ you’ve been eating your little sister?’ And the eldest little Fox said ‘Whihuauch! Whihuauch!’ and then it choked. And Bruno looked into its mouth, and it _was_ full!” (Sylvie paused to take breath, and Bruno lay back among the daisies, and looked at me triumphantly. “Isn’t it _grand_, Mister Sir?” said he. I tried hard to assume a critical tone. “It’s grand,” I said: “but it frightens one so!” “Oo may sit a little closer to _me_, if oo like,” said Bruno.)
“And so Bruno went home: and took the hamper into the kitchen, and opened it. And he saw——” Sylvie looked at _me_, this time, as if she thought I had been rather neglected and ought to be allowed _one_ guess, at any rate.
“He ca’n’t guess!” Bruno cried eagerly. “I ’fraid I _must_ tell him! There weren’t—_nuffin_ in the hamper!” I shivered in terror, and Bruno clapped his hands with delight. “He _is_ flightened, Sylvie! Tell the rest!”
“So Bruno said ‘Eldest little Fox, have you been eating _yourself_, you wicked little Fox?’ And the eldest little Fox said ‘Whihuauch!’ And then Bruno saw there was only its _mouth_ in the hamper! So he took the mouth, and he opened it, and shook, and shook! And at last he shook the little Fox out of its own mouth! And then he said ‘Open your mouth again, you wicked little thing!’ And he shook, and shook! And he shook out the second little Fox! And he said ‘Now open _your_ mouth!’ And he shook, and shook! And he shook out the youngest little Fox, and all the Apples, and all the Bread!