218 
THE RAT. 
me that the year before, whilst she was fast asleep 
in the bed which I had occupied, a rat began to 
eat into her shoulder. On saying this^ she bared 
the place to let me have a view of it ; and I dis- 
tinctly saw the marks which the hungry rat had 
left. " Upon my word, Madam," said T, " though 
I am not prone to make wry faces at a fair allow- 
ance of fleas or bugs, still I must own to you that 
I have not yet quite made up my mind to be 
devoured alive by rats; wherefore, if you have no 
objections, when our breakfast is finished, we will 
go and take a peep into the interior of the mat- 
tress." On ripping it up, no rats were found ; but 
out bounced seven or eight full-grown mice. The 
old lady smiled as they ran across the floor ; and 
I thought I could read in her face that she con- 
sidered I had raised a false alarm. 
When I reflect on the numbers and the appetite 
of the Hanoverian rat, and put down to its account 
the many depredations which it is perpetually 
committing, I cannot bring my mind to show it 
the same good feeling which is extended in this 
park to the rest of animated nature. In truth, I 
consider its arrival in our country an event pro- 
ductive of much annoyance to the community at 
large ; and, had I the power, I would send its 
whole stock, root and branch, back again to the 
country whence it came ; seeing that we have 
gained nothing by letting it exterminate the 
original English rat. 
