to eat and drink, handsome coats, no
encumbrances, and a temperament naturally inclined--at least, in my
case--towards taking life easy. And yet, as I lay stretched full-length
down one of my master's knees the other night, before a delicious fire,
and after such a saucerful of creamy tea which he could not drink
himself--I kept waking up with uncomfortable starts, fancying I saw on
the edge of the fender--but I will tell the matter in proper order.

I turned round to get my back to it, but I thought of it all the same;
and as every hair of my moustaches twitched, with the vexation of my
thoughts, I observed that my master was pulling and biting at his, and
glaring at the fire as if _he_ expected to see--however, I do not
trouble myself about the crumples in _his_ rose-leaves. He is big enough
to take care of himself. My own grievance I will state plainly and at
once. It may be a relief to my mind, which I sometimes fear will be
unhinged by dwelling on the thought of--but to begin.

It will easily be understood that after my arrival at my new home, I
waited anxiously for the appearance of the mouse; but it will hardly be
credited by any one who knows me, or who knew my grandmother, that I saw
it and _let it escape me_. It was seated on the sugar-basin, just as the
Captain had described it. The torn ear, the jerking tail, the bright
eyes--all were there.

If this story falls into the paws of any young cat who wishes to avoid
the mortifications which have embittered my favoured existence, let me
warn him to remember that a creature who has lived on friendly terms
with human beings cannot be judged by common rules. Many a mouse's eye
as bright as this one had I seen, but hitherto never one that did not
paralyze before my own.

He looked at me--I looked at him. His tail jerked--mine responded. Our
whiskers twitched--joy filled my brain to intoxication--I crept--I
crouched--I sprang--

He was not spell-bound--he did not even run away. With a cool twinkle of
that hateful eye, and one twitch of the ragged ear, he just overbalanced
the silver sugar-pot and dropped to the ground, the basin and sugar
falling on the top of him with a crash which made me start against my
will. I think that start just baulked the lightning flash of my second
leap, and he was gone--absolutely gone. To add insult to injury, my
master ran in from his bedroom and shouted--"Stealing, Toots? confound
you, you've knocked down my sugar-pot," and threw