1 14 The Book of Cats. 



again when she had secured one of the portions. 

 This little manoeuvre she carried on for some 

 weeks before the perpetrator of the robbery was 

 discovered ; and there is no saying, during this 

 lapse of time, how many innocent persons were 

 unjustly suspected. Who shall say, indeed, but 

 that the head of the establishment did not, as in 

 the great Jackdaw case, call for his candle, his bell, 

 and his book, and in holy anger, in pious grief, 

 solemnly curse that rascally thief, as, you remem- 

 ber, the Cardinal cursed the Jackdaw : — 



" He cursed him at board, he cursed him in bed, 

 From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head ; 

 He cursed him in eating, he cursed him in drinking, 

 He cursed him in coughing, in sneezing, in winking ; 

 He cursed him in sitting, in standing, in lying ; 

 He cursed him in walking, in riding, in flying ; 

 He cursed him in living, he cursed him in dying ; — 

 Never was heard such a terrible curse ! 



But what gave rise 



To no little surprise, 

 Nobody seemed one penny the worse !" 



When, however, they found out that Pussy was 

 the wrong-doer, and, unlike the Jackdaw, had grown 

 fat upon her misdeeds, they did not hang her, as 

 you might suppose, though I have no doubt that 

 course was suggested ; on the contrary, they allowed 



