Dick and His Cat and Other Tales Part 9

8. I was growing tired of the struggle, my body began to sink in the cream, and even my eyes were dimmed by it, so that I could hardly see where I was going.

9. Thomas the servant came in to take away the breakfast things, and the jolt he gave the cream-jug in moving it closer to the tea-pot nearly drowned me. I was half dead.

10. But Rose was again my friend, though she did not mean to do what she then did. Rushing into the room to fetch a book which she had left on the window seat, she ran against Thomas, and pushed his elbow.

11. This jerked the cream-jug so that it upset and I was upset with it.

I felt myself crawling along in a great white flood over the table-cloth, but still I had land under my feet.

12. "My dear Rose," said Mrs. Sutton, "how often I have begged you not to rush into the room in that rough way. You nearly knocked down Thomas, and see how his sleeve is messed with greasy cream!"

13. "I am very sorry, granny," said Rose, "but I forgot this book, and Miss Bush is waiting."

"I am sorry too," said Mrs. Sutton, "and so is Thomas, I dare say."

_Write:_ The fly wished to taste cream. He fell into the jug and was nearly drowned. Rose pushed the servant, the jug upset, and the fly crawled out.

Questions: 1. What did the fly wish to taste next? 2. What had he on his feet which helped him to walk? 3. What became of him after the fourth sip of cream? 4. Who came into the room to fetch the breakfast things? 5. Who came in next? 6.

What happened to the cream-jug and to the fly?

4. SWEET AS HONEY.

1. Rose had to go away, to finish her lessons, and Thomas also went out of the room to get a cloth to wipe up the spilt cream.

2. I was in danger of being swept away by this, but, just as Rose was going out at the door, she saw me still in the midst of the cream.

3. In an instant I found myself nearly drowned again in a spoonful of it, and the next moment I was again placed on the gra.s.s of the lawn.

4. Rose had scooped me up in the spoon and carried me there. I really think that she had a liking for me. How thankful I felt to be in the gra.s.s!

5. I hid myself under a daisy flower and took a good rest, for I felt very tired after my struggles. A good shower of rain came on, and I was quite glad to hear it patter on the leaves.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

6. For I still felt a trifle sticky, and was glad to get my legs moist, so that I might wash myself all the better. At this time the sun was so warm, that I lived out of doors for some days.

7. I think that three days pa.s.sed before I sat again on the white cap of Mrs. Sutton. But one morning, when she sat at the open window, I thought I should like to pay my old friend a visit.

8. It was breakfast time again. Mr. Sutton was reading the paper through his new gla.s.ses, and Rose was busy eating her breakfast.

9. As I had had nothing but a few tastes of dew, and such small meals as were to be had from the flowers, for three days, I was rather hungry.

10. I thought that Rose would spare me a bit of what was on her plate.

But, as I was on the way to it, I had to pa.s.s a pot of something which had a better smell than what she was then eating.

11. It was honey. It made me forget all about Rose, and her bread and b.u.t.ter. I pitched on the honey-pot, and began to feast as hard as I could.

12. But before I had eaten much, I saw Rose take some and spread it on a piece of bread. At the same moment Mrs. Sutton rose and put the honey into a cupboard.

13. "The flies will get at this, if it is left without a cover," she said. "I cannot think why Thomas has brought it in to table without one."

14. Now I thought this a most unkind speech. They were all eating twenty times as much as I could do in a week at each mouthful. Yet the honey was put into a dark cupboard out of my reach!

_Write:_ The fly was glad to clean his wings and legs. He came back to the room and sat on the cap of the old lady. He was pleased to get some honey.

Questions: 1. What did Rose do for the fly in the cream? 2.

What did the fly do in the garden? 3. What did the fly find on the breakfast-table? 4. Where did he pitch next? 5. What did the old lady do with the honey-pot? 6. What did the fly think of what she said?

5. A NEW MISHAP.

1. This vexed me, I must say, so I went and buzzed against the window panes for a little while, to see if that would do me any good.

2. At the end of that time I heard Rose say, "Granny, I do not want this bread and honey now. May I keep it for my lunch?"

3. "Yes, dear," said her granny. It seemed a wonder to me that Rose should wish to leave her bread and honey till some hours later, when she might have had it at once.

4. Mr. Sutton got up and went away to his study. His wife rose too, and she told Rose to put the plate of bread and honey on the sideboard, that Thomas might take it away till lunch time.

5. But Rose forgot to tell Thomas, and he did not seem to see the plate, so there the tempting dish was left all the morning. The sun began to shine upon it, and I sniffed and sniffed many times.

6. At last I left the white cap where I was sitting, and went towards it. I settled upon something far nicer now than either sugar or cream.

I sipped and sucked away for some time.

7. At last I thought that I had eaten enough and had better tear myself away before I had taken more than was good for me. But, to my horror, I found that when I tried to lift up my legs I could not stir them!

8. In my other troubles I had at least been able to move a little. I could climb up and down the mountains of sugar, and I could swim about in the ocean of cream.

9. But now I was fixed fast, either to be eaten by Rose without her knowing it, or to die a wretched death in the kitchen if she did not choose to finish me off.

10. I had never thought very much of my out-door cousins, the bees. It seemed to me that they made a great fuss and took a lot of trouble for nothing, in making honey for men and women to take away.

11. How much better to eat it straight from the flowers! And now I thought worse of the bees than ever, because I was sticking fast in their stuff.

12. I tried in vain to drag out one front leg after the other, and next my middle and back legs. It was just as a man would feel if he were stuck in a bog.

13. The sound of the lunch bell went to my heart. The sight of the nice bread and honey, which Rose had left at breakfast, would be sure to make her feel hungry. She very soon saw me!

_Write:_ The fly stood on a plate of bread and honey. He stuck fast and felt as a man might do in a bog. Rose took him out and set him free.

Questions: 1. What did Rose do with her bread and honey? 2.

What did the fly do when he smelt it? 3. What happened to him when he settled on the honey? 4. What did he try to do in vain? 5. What did he soon hear? 6. What did Rose very soon see when she came to lunch?