“Give me your hand, dear,” said she. Then, as she clasped it lovingly, his paw turned into a little human hand. He opened it, closed it, and pinched it again and again. For a while, he sniffed at it, too. “How funny! What’s this?” asked the little animal, staring at his hand in the moonlight.
“This is a human hand,” said the mother, “Listen, dear. Go into the town. You’ll see many houses. Find a sign of a top hat. Then knock on the door of that house, and say, ‘Excuse me.’ A man inside will open the door a little. Put this hand, your human hand, into the crack, and say, ‘I want mittens in just my size.’ OK? And you must not hold out your other hand!”
“Why not?” asked the little fox.