4 



THE RAT 



It is much easier to get safely through your 

 second year than through your first, as I will show 

 you later on, and 1 managed it all right, though 

 I lost half my tail. That gave me the right to put 

 T. after my name. This honour is not so very 

 uncommon, and I did not swagger about it a very 

 great deal. I only cultivated a bit of sideways 

 action in my walk. Some rats will twist their 

 stump first to one side and then to the other as they 

 walk, but I call that rather bad form. Also, it is 

 dangerous, and, for that reason more than any other, 

 against my principles. I make all my principles to 

 suit my own advantage, I fear. They do it ' to be 

 seen of men,' as I believe you say, and that is just 

 why it is dangerous, because if you flick things 

 about you are seen of men, and then 'whang comes 

 something ' — half a brick or a great stick. Ugh ! 

 how I remember some of the escapes that I have 

 had, even when I was sitting quite quiet ! 



However, my third birthday came at last, and 

 my name changed to ' Samuel.' I was now a 

 person of some importance among my nephews and 

 nieces, which was not quite such a bore as it may 

 sound to you, for I had considerable luck in the way 

 of losing a very great many of them. It was a bad 

 year for the young and inexperienced. There was 



