the Goose, and said to the Tortoise, "Now hand over that ruby."

The Tortoise said, "Forgive me, I have made a mistake, and brought up
the wrong ruby. Let me see the first, and if it does not match, I will
try again."

The Fowler gave back the first ruby. "As I thought," said the Tortoise.
Down he dived into the pond.

The Fowler waited a good long time, but nothing
was seen of the Tortoise. As you have guessed, when
the Tortoise found himself safe at the bottom
of the pond, he stayed there. The Fowler
tore his hair, and went home,
wishing he had not been
so greedy.

[Illustration]

The King of the Mice

FAR away in the forest was the Kingdom of Mouseland. There was a great
city, where every Mouse had his little house, with doors and windows,
tables and chairs, books for the grown-up Mice, and toys for the
children; there were little shops, where the Mice bought clothes and
food, and everything they wanted; there was a little church where they
went on Sunday, and a reverend little Mouse in a little lawn surplice to
preach to them; there was a little palace, and in this palace lived the
little Mouse King.

Now it happened that a caravan passed through the Kingdom of the Mice.
Not that the men of the caravan knew what a wonderful kingdom they were
in. They thought it was just like any other part of the forest, and if
they did happen to pass a Mouse fortress, or farmyard, they thought them
nothing but heaps of earth. Just so if you were to fly up in a balloon,
and look down on your own house from the air, it would seem like a
little doll's-house, not fit for a child to live in. This caravan, as I
have said, was passing through Mouseland, and encamped in part of it
once to spend the night. One of the Camels was very sick, and as the
owner of the Camel thought it was sure to die, he left it behind when
the caravan went away.

But the Camel did not die; he very soon got as well as ever he was. And
when he got well he also got hungry; so he strode all over Mouseland,
eating up the crops of the Mice, and treading their houses down, until
at last he came to the Mouse King's park. He ate a great many trees in
the Mouse King's park, and the Keeper went in a hurry and flurry to tell
the King.

"O King," said he, "a mountain several miles high has walked into your
park, and is eating everything up."

"We must make an example of this mountain