up, a great Maltese cat came and looked at them and was going to jump for them but I spit at her and drove her away. The people were pleased with me all the time and the girl let me stay in the room when the bird’s cage-door was open and when he flew out; and more birds came there to live and the birds had little birds, and they grew big birds, and I was a friend to them, and the girl got a very big cage for all the birds and sometimes she let me stay in there with them and I did not touch one. They would stand on my head and walk on my fur, and I let them. The boy was pleased with me and the girl was pleased with me.
“I am an old cat now; a very old cat. I do not care for balls, or spools, or marbles, or knitting-work, or tassels, or strings. I do not wish to jump high. I like to sit by the fire and feel the warm all around me. You have heard my story!”
“Mouseroun made a sign to Phi by which Phi understood that Mouseroun wished him to ask Mistress Tabby Furpurr the way she found out of not liking birds.
“‘Excuse me to-day,’ replied Mistress Tabby Furpurr to Phi’s question. ‘I am weary and must take my repose. Some other time I will tell.’
“Soon after this Mouseroun and Phi went to a great Battle of the Cats and were long absent. Upon their return they set forth as before to travel about the country, and again sought out the abode of Mistress Tabby Furpurr.
“As they journeyed on they were met by two lively young black-and-white cats, the same two they met before, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, called Dum and Dee.
“They were full of frolic and good-nature, tumbling over each other, and snatching at each other’s tails.
“‘Whither so fast?’ asked Phi of them as they met.
“‘To catch some bugs for a cat with a large family of kittens,’ they said.
“You are not as sour as you were,” said Phi.
“‘Oh, no,’ said Dum and Dee. ‘It is folly to be sour when sweet is better. We found that out.’
“‘You might have your pictures taken now,’ said Phi.
“‘We’re so happy we don’t care to,’ said Dum and Dee. ‘Good day to you.’
“‘Beware of guns,’ said a faint voice near by.
“It was the faint voice of a feeble cat who had crept under a bush to die.
“‘We’re not afraid,’ said Dum and Dee. ‘We have our nine lives, you know.’
“‘Go not quickly through them as I have done,’ said the feeble cat. ‘Beware of dogs, beware of stones, beware of guns, beware of shutting up, beware of boys, beware of drowning, beware of hot water, beware of stepping on, beware of wet blacking-brushes.’
“‘I have lived eight lives, and am now dying of a spot of blacking.’
“‘Tell us about the eight lives,’ said Dum and Dee; and at a sign from Mouseroun, Phi made the same request.
“‘I will try,’ replied the feeble cat, ‘if you will bear with my weakness.’”She Brought Me a Very Big Grasshopper.

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