34 



THE RAT 



really tries. But it was a bad day for another 

 reason. Young rats have a silly time in their lives, 

 just like you have, when they think that they know 

 better than anyone else, and eat soap, and do all 

 sorts of stupid things, in spite of people telling them 

 that they are sure to be sick, and wish that they had 

 eaten something more wholesome. And they go out 

 at the wrong time, just as you do, only you catch 

 a cold, while we catch nothing — something catches 

 us. That sounds like the answer to a riddle. 

 'What is the difference between a boy and a 

 young rat V How will that do ? ' One catches 

 cold when he goes out at the wrong time, and 

 something else catches hold of the other.' Silly 

 old riddle ! I hate riddles of all sorts. 



Well, my silly time came just wrong, because 

 the owls had hatched out their young ones, and 

 wanted lots of nice tender little rats for nursery 

 food, and they came and sat on trees just over our 

 holes ; and whenever a fat young rat went out for a 

 walk, contrary to the advice of his parents, down 

 came a great fluffy owl with claws as sharp as 

 needles, and just about as long, and sometimes 

 there was one tiny squeak and sometimes there 

 wasn't, and away went Mr. or Mrs. Owl to the old 

 crow's nest in the flr-tree, and another young rat 



