may be) appear often in the same place; if you do, however you may
flatter yourselves to the contrary, you will certainly at last be
destroyed.' So saying, she stroked us all with her fore paw as a
token of her affection, and then hurried away, to conceal from us
the emotions of her sorrow, at thus sending us into the wide
world.

She was no sooner gone, than the thought of being our own
directors so charmed our little hearts, that we presently forgot
our grief at parting from our kind parent; and, impatient to use
our liberty, we all set forward in search of some food, or rather
some adventure, as our mother had left us victuals more than
sufficient to supply the wants of that day. With a great deal of
difficulty, we clambered up a high wall on the inside of a
wainscot, till we reached the story above that we were born in,
where we found it much easier to run round within the
skirting-board, than to ascend any higher.

While we were there, our noses were delightfully regaled with the
scent of the most delicate food that we had ever smelt; we were
anxious to procure a taste of it likewise, and after running round
and round the room a great many times, we at last discovered a
little crack, through which we made our entrance. My brother
Longtail led the way; I followed; Softdown came next; but
Brighteyes would not be prevailed upon to venture. The apartment
which we entered was spacious and elegant; at least, differed so
greatly from anything we had seen, that we imagined it the finest
place upon earth. It was covered all over with a carpet of
various colours, that not only concealed some bird-seeds which we
came to devour, but also for some time prevented our being