THE FOX AND RAVEN, 167

you iook to-day! I never saw your coat
sovrich and glossy before. Pray give mé
a bit of that cheese; I am very fond of
cheese. *

“Hem!” said the raven, taking care not
to open his mouth, and seeming to think
that he was not such a ninny as to be flat-
tered out of his cheese by a fox. But rey-
nard is a sort of natural lawyery who knows
the weak points of people, andshas a faculty,
as well as a disposition, to turn them to
account. He thought to himself, “ Now the
raven has a hoarse, croaking voice, and the
way to flatter any one is to praise that in
which he is most deficient ;” so he began :

“Well, my dear raven, I told you I
wanted the cheese; but, in point of fact, I
care little about it.. I kate cheese, for it
‘spoils the breath ; but I really wanted, to
hear you sing; and the cheese stops up your
mouth, I beg of you to sing me a little
French or Italian air; you execute, those
things so deliciously” -

* The raven, like some silly people who
haye odious voices, fancied that he sang