poorer, they are not so good as yourself, whereas, I assure you,
poverty makes no difference in the merit of people; for those only
are deserving of respect who are truly good; and a beggar who is
virtuous, is far better than a prince who is wicked.' I was
prevented from hearing any more of this very just discourse, by
the little boy's opening the door and letting in a cat; which,
though it was the first that I had ever seen in my life, I was
certain was the same destructive animal to our race, which I had
frequently heard my mother describe. I therefore made all
possible haste back to the closet, and warning Brighteyes of our
danger, we instantly returned by the same way which we came, to
our two brothers, whom we found waiting for us, and wondering at
our long absence. We related to them the dainty cheer which we
had met with, and agreed to conduct them thither in the evening.
Accordingly, as soon as it grew towards dusk, we climbed up the
wall, and all four together attacked the plum-cake, which no one
had touched since we left it; but scarcely had we all seated
ourselves round it, than on a sudden the closet-door opened, and a
woman entered. Away we all scampered as fast as possible, but
poor Brighteyes, who could not move quite so fast on account of
his sore toe, and who likewise having advanced farther into the
cake, was discovered before he could reach the crack by which we
entered. The woman, who had a knife in her hand, struck at him
with it, at the same time exclaiming, 'Bless me, nurse, here is a
mouse in the closet!' Happily, she missed her aim, and he only
received a small wound on the tip of his tail. This interruption
sadly alarmed us, and it was above an hour before we could have
courage to venture back, when finding everything quiet, except
Mrs. Nurse's singing to her child, we again crept out, and once
more surrounded the cake. We continued without any further alarm