ound our
scheme frustrated; for, on the woman's going to the closet to get
her breakfast, she observed the robbery which we had committed, and
exclaimed, 'Some teasing mice have found their way into the closet: I
will borrow neighbour Savewell's trap to-night, and catch some of the
little toads; that I will!' After hearing this, it would have been
madness to make any further attempts: we therefore agreed to watch for
an opportunity, and escape on the very first that offered. Accordingly,
about noon, when Mrs. Flood was busily employed in making some pancakes,
we slipped by her unobserved, and crept out at the same hole by which we
first entered. But no sooner were we in the open road, than we repented
our haste, and wished that we had continued where we were till
the darkness of the night might better have concealed us from the
observation of anyone. We crept as close to the wall of the house (as
far as it reached, which was but a few paces) as we possibly could, and
then stepped into a little ditch, which we were soon obliged to leave
again, as the water ran in some parts of it almost up to the edge.

At length we reached a little cottage, which we were just entering, when
a cat that was sleeping unnoticed by us upon a chair, jumped down, and
would certainly have destroyed me (who happened to go first) had she not
at the same moment tried to catch my brother, and by that means missed
her aim, and so given us both an opportunity to escape, which we did by
scrambling behind a brick that a child had been playing with by the side
of the door. Fortunately, the brick lay too close to the house for the
cat to get her paw behind it, so as to be able to reach us; though to
avoid it we were obliged to use the greatest precaution, as she could
thrust it in a little way, so that if we had gone one inch too near
either end, she would certainly have dragged us out by her talons. In
this dreadful situation did we spend some hours, incessantly moving
from one end of the brick to the other; for the moment she had, by the
entrance of her paw at one end, driven us to the other, she stepped
over, and again made us retreat. Think with what dreadful terror our
little hearts must have been oppressed, to see our mortal enemy so
closely watching us, expecting every moment when she shook the brick
with her two forepaws in searching, and with her mouth endeavoured to
lift it up, that she would be so far able to effect her purpose, as to
make it