188 
THE RAT. 
" Is that you, Jack ?" " All riglit, Jem," was the answer. 
But I had to leave half-a-crown on the can an' plates." 
"But where's the grub?" inquired Jumper. ''The paper 
busted," said Jack, so I turn'd the meat an' pudden into 
my hat, an' tucked it under my arm. As for the carrots an' 
taters, I shoved them into my pocket, along o' th' plates. 
But look ; here's a jolly great she-rat I caught." " Let it 
go," said J em ; poor thing, it's heavy with young. You 
should never hurt the shes. They're the best friends we 
have. Its all very well to catch the boars, when we happen 
to get a job, cos we might as well sell 'em as let 'em fight an' 
kill each other. Don't hurt it, poor thing. Let it go gently ; 
'twill find its own road back. There, that's it. Don't you 
see, Jack, if it were not for rats keeping the sewers sweet an' 
clean by eating up the rubbish an' stuff, we couldn't put our 
heads into 'em. Ther'd be no end to diseases, an' fevers, an' 
such-like things. Lor bless you, the people of London would 
die like rotten sheep." '• Well, Jem, I only brought it to 
show^ you what a fat un it was." "All right. Jack. Now 
let's have the dinner, for I'm most uncommon hungry. 
How do you feel, Jumper 1" "Bather peckish," said Mr. 
J umper. " But stop. Jack, let's set the cage firm first, or 
the animals may upset it. There, now it makes a famous 
table." " Here, Jem, just hold the hat while I get a plate 
out o' my pocket — that's it. Now if I put the plate on the 
top, an' turn the hat upside down, then we shall have all the 
gravy, an' they gave us a famous lot o' mustard with it." 
It is needless for me to give an exact account of the say- 
ings and doings of these subterranean worthies while at din- 
ner. But I will give a brief outline, and you can imagine 
the rest better than I can describe it. 
When Jack had emptied his pockets on the table, they were 
forced to be quick, and put the vegetables on the plates, because 
the rats began pulling them through the wires into the cage. 
" Now, my boy," said Jem, " first give your hat a welt 
against the wall to knock out the gravy and mustard ; then 
plunge your hand into the mire there, an' grope about for a 
brick to sit on." 
That done they took their seats, and set to work in right 
good earnest to devour all before them. One lot after the 
other disappeared, and were as punctually washed down with 
