What became of them!
He was a rat, and she was a rat,
And down in one hole they did dwell,
And both were as black as a witch's cat,
And they loved one another well.
He had a tail, and she had a tail,
Both long and curling and fine,
And each said, "Yours is the finest tail
In the world, excepting mine."
He smelt the cheese, and she smelt the cheese,
And they both pronounced it good;
And both remarked it would greatly add
To the charms of their daily food.
So he ventured out, and she ventured out,
And I saw them go with pain;
But what befel them I never can tell,
For they never came back again.
[Illustration: Rats Carrying Home an Egg.]
[Page 182--Mousey Land]
[Illustration: The Gingerbread Cat.]