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CAT AND MOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP. 39
‘‘That’s because you are always sitting at home,” said the
cat, "in your little grey frock and hairy tail, never seeing the
world, and fancying all sorts of things.”
So the little mouse cleaned up the house and set it all in
order. Meanwhile the greedy cat went and made an end of
the little pot of fat.
6 Now all is finished one’s mind will be easy,” said he,
and came home in the evening, quite sleek and comfortable.
The mouse asked at once what name had been given to the
third child.
“Tt won’t please you any better than the others,” answered
the cat. ‘It is called All-gone.”
(c All-gone!” cried the mouse. "What an unheard-of¬
name! I never met with anything like it! All-gone! what¬
ever can it mean?” And shaking her head, she curled
herself round and went to sleep. After that the cat was not
again asked to stand god-father.
When the winter had come and there was nothing more
to be had out of doors, the mouse began to think of their
store.
‘Come, cat,” said she, "we will fetch our pot of fat, how
good it will taste, to be sure !”
‘Of course it will,” said the cat, “just as good as if you
stuck your tongue out of window !”
So they set out, and when they reached the place, they
found the pot, but it was standing empty.
“Oh, now I know what it all meant,’ cried the mouse,
"now I see what sort of a partner you have been! Instead
of standing god-father you have devoured it all up; first Top¬
off, then Half-gone, then”
‘Will you hold your tongue!” screamed the cat, “ another
word, and I devour you too!”
And the poor little mouse, having " All-gone” on her
tongue, out it came, and the cat leaped upon her and made
an end of her. And that is the way of the world.