bed, for I heard some more rustling among the things.' 'O lauk!'
replied Betty, 'yon do not think that I will take down the trap,
do you? I would not touch it for twenty pounds. I am always
frightened, and ready to die at the sight of a mouse. Once, when
I was a girl, I had one thrown in my face, and ever since I have
always been scared out of my wits at them; and if ever I see one
running loose, as I did one night in the closet below stairs,
where the candles are kept, I scream as if I was being killed.'
'Why then,' answered Nurse, 'I think you behave like a great fool,
for what harm could a mouse do to you?' 'O la! I hate them,'
returned she, and then ran away without the trap. Greatly was I
rejoiced at her departure, as I hoped that, by some means,
Softdown might still be able to make his escape. But, alas! no
such good fortune attended him. Some person again passing the
door, Nurse once more called out, 'Who is there? John is it you?'
'Yes,' replied a man's voice. 'Then do you step in, will you, for
a moment?' rejoined Mrs. Nurse: and instantly entered a man whom
I had never before seen. 'What do you want, Nurse?' said he. 'I
only want to get rid of a mouse,' returned she; 'and, do you know,
Betty is such a fool that she is afraid of taking it, and I want
the trap to set it again, for they swarm here like bees in a hive,
one can have no peace for them: they devour and spoil every
thing; I say sometimes that I believe they will eat me up at
last.' While she was saying this, John took the trap in his hand,
held it up once more to the candle, then taking a piece of thread
out of a paper, that lay bound round with a dirty blue ribbon upon
the table, he shook the trap about till he got my brother's tail
through the wires, when catching hold of it, he tied the thread
tight round it and dragged him by it to the door of the trap,
which he opened, and took him out, suspending the weight of his