King's guests enjoyed the meal and ate heartily of the various dishes.

The party went to the theater, where they saw a play acted by foxes
dressed in costumes of brilliantly colored feathers. The play was
about a fox-girl who was stolen by some wicked wolves and carried to
their cave; and just as they were about to kill her and eat her a
company of fox-soldiers marched up, saved the girl, and put all the
wicked wolves to death.

"How do you like it?" the King asked Dorothy.

"Pretty well," she answered. "It reminds me of one of Mr.
Aesop's fables."

"Don't mention Aesop to me, I beg of you!" exclaimed King Dox.
"I hate that man's name. He wrote a good deal about foxes, but always
made them out cruel and wicked, whereas we are gentle and kind, as you
may see."

"But his fables showed you to be wise and clever, and more shrewd than
other animals," said the shaggy man, thoughtfully.

"So we are. There is no question about our knowing more than men do,"
replied the King, proudly. "But we employ our wisdom to do good,
instead of harm; so that horrid Aesop did not know what he was
talking about."

They did not like to contradict him, because they felt he ought to
know the nature of foxes better than men did; so they sat still and
watched the play, and Button-Bright became so interested that for the