"'Oh, my dear master, my dear master; be merciful and spare my life, and I'll tell you a story.' That was what she said.
"'Once on a time there were two small mice,' said the fell-mouse; and she squeaked so pitifully and slowly, for she wanted to drag the story out as long as she could.
"'Then they were not alone,' said the cat, both sharply and drily.
"'And so we had a steak we were going to cook.'
"'Then you were not starved,' said the cat.
"'So we put it up on the roof that it might cool itself well,' said the fell-mouse.
"'Then you didn't burn your tongues,' said the cat.
"'So, then the fox and the crow came and gobbled it up,' said the fell-mouse.
"'And so I'll gobble you up,' said the cat.
"But just then the goody slammed to the trap-door again, so that the cat got afraid and loosed her hold, and--pop--the fell-mouse was away in the town-mouse's hole, and from it there was a way out into the snow, and the fell-mouse was not slow in setting off home.
"'This you call living well, and you say that you live best?' she said to the town-mouse. 'Heaven help me to a better mind, for with such a big house, and such a hawk for a master I could scarce get off with my life."
"Once on a time there was a goody who had a son called Matthew, but he was so stupid that he had no sense for anything, nor would he do much either; and the little he did was always topsy-turvy and never right, and so they never called him anything but 'Silly Matt.'
"All this the goody thought bad; and it was still worse she thought that her son idled about and never turned his hand to anything else than yawning and stretching himself between the four walls.
"Now close to where they lived ran a great river, and the stream was strong and bad to cross. So, one day, the goody said to the lad, there was no lack of timber there, for it grew almost up to the cottage-wall; he must cut some down and drag it to the bank and try to build a bridge over the river and take toll, and then he would both have something to do and something to live upon besides.
"Yes! Matt thought so too, for his mother had said it; what she begged him do, he would do. That was safe and sure he said, for what she said must be so and not otherwise. So he hewed down timber and dragged it down and built a bridge. It didn't go so awfully fast with the work, but at any rate he had his hands full while it went on.