acidly,
"inasmuch as the Turk needs to eat, though he does not always get the
chance, and therefore would not be likely to come here where he would
find nothing, so the verse is perfect."

The Nabob now suddenly turned towards the landlord.

"Have you a mouse on the premises then?"

"They are not mine, my lord. I only rent the house. But as there are
plenty of them, I don't suppose the ground landlord will begin an action
at law if I take one or two."

"Then roast us a mouse!"

"Only one?"

"Plague on such a question! Dost thou take the belly of a man for the
abyss of hell, to think that one such beast is not quite enough for it?"

"At your service, my lord," said the innkeeper; and he immediately
called the cats into the room to assist him, though he had only to move
a few stones away in order to be able to pick and choose his mouse quite
as well as any cat could have done it for him.

And here I may say, by the way, that a mouse is such a nice pretty
little animal, that I cannot conceive why folks should hold it in such
horror. It is very much the same thing as a squirrel or a guinea-pig,
which we keep in our rooms and pet and play with; nay, it is cleverer
far than they. What a delicate little snout it has, what sweet little
ears, what wee little pets of feet! And then its comically big
moustache, and its quick black eyes like sparkling diamonds! And when
it plays, when it squeaks, when it stands up to beat the air on its hind
legs, it is as clever and as comely as any other animal in the world.
Nobody is horrified at a crab being cooked, nobody flies in terror when
snails are served up at table, yet they are both far more horrible
animals than a mouse. What, then, is there so horrifying in the idea of
cooking a mouse? Why, in China, it is the greatest of delicacies, a
lordly dish for epicures, and they feed it up in cages with nuts and
almonds, and serve it up as the choicest of savouries!

Nevertheless, the whole company was persuaded that the very idea of such
a thing was the most exquisite of jokes, and every one laughed aloud in
anticipation.

Meanwhile, while Mr. Peter Bus threw open a large barn-like room for his
guests, the heydukes had unpacked the waggon, and dragged into the light
of day cushions, curtains, camp-stools, and tables; and in a few moments
the empty, resonant room was changed as if by magic into a sumptuous
apartment. The table was piled high with silver goblets and dishes, and,
r