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Then the Dog said, 'Wait a minute. He has not made a bargain with
me or with all proper Dogs after me.' And he showed his teeth and
said, 'If you are not kind to the Baby while I am in the Cave for
always and always and always, I will hunt you till I catch you,
and when I catch you I will bite you. And so shall all proper
Dogs do after me.'

'Ah,' said the Woman, listening, 'this is a very clever Cat, but
he is not so clever as the Dog.'

Cat counted the Dog's teeth (and they looked very pointed) and he
said, 'I will be kind to the Baby while I am in the Cave, as long
as he does not pull my tail too hard, for always and always and
always. But still I am the Cat that walks by himself, and all
places are alike to me.'

'Not when I am near,' said the Dog. 'If you had not said that
last I would have shut my mouth for always and always and always;
but now I am going to hunt you up a tree whenever I meet you. And
so shall all proper Dogs do after me.'

Then the Man threw his two boots and his little stone axe (that
makes three) at the Cat, and the Cat ran out of the Cave and the
Dog chased him up a tree; and from that day to this, Best
Beloved, three proper Men out of five will always throw things at
a Cat whenever they meet him, and all proper Dogs will chase him
up a tree. But the Cat keeps his side of the bargain too. He will
kill mice and he will be kind to Babies when he is in the house,
just as long as they do not pull his tail too hard. But when he
has done that, and between times, and when the moon gets up and
night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places
are alike to him. Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods or up
the Wet Wild Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs, waving his wild tail
and walking by his wild lone.


PUSSY can sit by the fire and sing,
Pussy can climb a tree,
Or play with a silly old cork and string
To'muse herself, not me.
But I like Binkie my dog, because
He Lnows how to behave;
So, Binkie's the same as the First Friend was,
And I am the Man in the Cave.

Pussy will play man-Friday till
It's time to wet her paw
And make her walk on the window-sill
(For the footprint Crusoe saw);
Then she fluffles her tail and mews,
And scratches and won't attend.
But Binkie will play whatever I choose,
And he is my true First Friend.

Pussy will rub my knees with her head
Pretending she loves me hard;
But the very minute I go to my bed
Pussy runs out in the yard,
And there she stays till the morning-light;
So I know it is only pretend;
But Binkie, he snores at my feet all night,
And he is my Firstest Friend!




THE BUTTERFLY THAT STAMPED

THIS, O my Best Beloved, is a story--a new and a wonderful story--a
story quite different from the other stories--a story about
The Most Wise Sovereign Suleiman-bin-Daoud--Solomon the Son of David.

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