Lady into Fox

“Wonderful or supernatural events are not so uncommon, rather they are irregular in their incidence. Thus there may be not one marvel to speak of in a century, and then often enough comes a plentiful crop of them; monsters of all sorts swarm suddenly upon the earth, comets blaze in the sky, eclipses frighten nature, meteors fall in rain, while mermaids and sirens beguile, and sea serpents engulf every passing ship, and terrible cataclysms beset humanity.””

— David Garnett

“Every one of her foxey ways was now so absolutely precious to him that I believe that if he had known for certain she was dead, and had thoughts of marrying a second time, he would never have been happy with a woman. No, indeed, he would have been more tempted to get himself a tame fox, and would have counted that as good a marriage as he could make.””

— David Garnett

“This story was made up by his neighbours not because they were fanciful or wanted to deceive, but like most tittle-tattle to fill a gap, as few like to confess ignorance, and if people are asked about such or such a man they must have something to say, or they suffer in everybody's opinion, are set down as dull or "out of the swim.””

— David Garnett

“That moment of awakening was very sweet to him. The freshness of the morning, the scent of everything at the day’s rebirth, the first beams of the sun upon a treetop near, and a pigeon rising into the air suddenly, all delighted him. Even the rough scent of the body of the cub in his arms seemed to him delicious.At that moment all human customs and institutions seemed to him nothing but folly; for said he, “I would exchange all my life as a man for my happiness now, and even now I retain almost all of the ridiculous conceptions of a man. The beasts are happier and I will deserve that happiness as best I can.””

— David Garnett

“That moment of awakening was very sweet to him. The freshness ofthe morning, the scent of everything at the day’s rebirth, the first beamsof the sun upon a treetop near, and a pigeon rising into the airsuddenly, all delighted him. Even the rough scent of the body of the cubin his arms seemed to him delicious.At that moment all human customs and institutions seemed to himnothing but folly; for said he, “I would exchange all my life as a man formy happiness now, and even now I retain almost all of the ridiculousconceptions of a man. The beasts are happier and I will deserve thathappiness as best I can.””

— David Garnett