Now, Mrs. Fox knew that there was a ploughed field nearby, and that
was just what she wanted. She scampered towards it at great speed and
went straight across it. And when she had reached the other side of
the ploughed ground she sat down for a short breathing spell.

You see, Mrs. Fox was very wise indeed. She knew that in dry weather,
such as there was then, a ploughed field takes no scent at all. She
knew that when Spot reached that loose dirt Spot could not smell her
footsteps. And so she just sat there on her haunches, and caught her
breath again.

A grim smile crossed Mrs. Fox's face as she heard Spot barking away in
the distance. It was a very different bark from what she had heard
when he was chasing Tommy. This time Spot was saying, "Oh, dear! oh,
dear! I've lost him!" over and over again.

When Mrs. Fox reached home she found Tommy safe inside their house. He
was crying, because he was afraid he would never see his mother again.
And after his mother found out how Spot had happened to chase him,
Tommy cried some more--but for an entirely different reason.

Who can guess what the reason was?




XI

TOMMY GROWS TOO CARELESS