my
cap; and how it came there, I am sure I cannot tell. He never
offered to stir, but lay very quiet till I took him out. Do let
me have a cage for him." "Well, my dear," replied her mamma, "you
shall have a cage for him, and a very nice one too." "Look'ye,"
said the alderman, "she shall not have a cage: it would be
throwing money away." "I say she shall have a cage," said the
lady, "as sure as my name is Sukey Bumble, while I have a crown in
my pocket." "Well," said the alderman, "I see _I_ must yield: so I
am to get you money to spend in cages. Henny, my love, (continued
he,) let me look at it." Henny, however, kept it in her hand, in
which she was seconded by her mother, who said, "That's right, my
girl, do not part with it." Henrietta was standing so near the
alderman, he thought, with a little effort he might snatch it from
her; but being very bad with the gout, he overbalanced himself,
and down he came. Mrs. Bumble with great difficulty raised him,
which, as soon as she had done, he hobbled up to Henrietta, took
me from her by force, and barbarously cut off near half an inch
of my tail with a pair scissars. Henrietta burst into tears,
Mrs. Bumble began scolding him, when a servant came in, whom she
desired to go to Crooked-lane, and procure one of the very best
cages that could be got. The Alderman stormed; his lady raved; and
Henrietta cried. Mrs. Bumble said she would be minded, and giving
the man a guinea, told him, if it came to more, to pay it. "What,"
continued she, "would you have an alderman's lady send for a
sixpenny wicker cage, to keep a squirrel in. No, by no means in
the world; and you ought to be ashamed of yourself to have maimed
a poor defenceless creature, only because you fell out of the
chair." As there were a great many questions and answers, I think
it would be best to give them to you in the manner they were
delivered by the parties.

_Alderman._ Why now, was not the squirrel the cause of my fall.
Did I not, in attempting to get the squirrel, fall off my chair?
and therefore, was not the squirrel the cause of my fall.

_Lady._ Suppose it was: but what business had you to try to get
the squirrel, and then to revenge yourself in such a shameful
manner. I wish to my heart he had bit you.

_Alderman._ I am much obliged to you, however, for the wish, my
dear; but of the two, I would rather he had let it alone.

_Henrietta._ I am sure it would have served you right.

_Alderman._ Come here