would not have condemned you; but, to keep it hanging the whole
weight of its body upon its tail, to swing it about, and, by that,
to hold it terrifying over the cat's jaws, and to take pleasure in
hearing it squeak, and seeing it struggle for liberty, is such
unmanly, such detestable cruelty, as calls for my utmost
indignation and abhorrence. But, since you think pain so very
trifling an evil, try. Charles, how you like that,' said he,
giving him at the same time some severe strokes with his
horsewhip. The boy then cried, and called out, 'I do not like it
at all, I do not like it at all.' 'Neither did the mouse,'
replied his father, 'like at all to be tied to a string, and swung
about by his tail: he did not like it, and told you so in a
language which you perfectly well understood; but you would not
attend to his cries; you thought it pleasure to hear it squeak,
because you were bigger, and did not feel its torture. I am now
bigger than you. and do not feel your pain. I therefore shall
not yet leave off; as I hope it will teach you not to torment
anything another time.' Just as he said these words, the boy,
endeavouring to avoid the whip, ran against the table on which I
was placed, and happily threw down the pan that confined me. I
instantly seized the opportunity, jumped down, and once more
escaped to the little hole by which I first entered. There I
found my only brother waiting for me, and was again under the
dreadful necessity of paining his tender heart with the recital of
the sufferings which I had been witness to in our dear Brighteyes,
as well as the imminent danger I myself had been exposed to.
'And, surely,' said I, 'we have again drawn this evil upon
ourselves by our disobedience to our mother's advice; she,
doubtless, intended that we should not continue in the same house
long together; whereas from the day of her leaving us, we have