is a cat and a sweet young daughter who gives you
sugar. Perhaps it would not be so pleasant for you if the forester died
and a new one came who was younger. His wife might be too fond of her
sugar to care to give you any. His children might set traps for you and
torture you. And he might have a young cat, who would get her claws into
you and eat you."

"You are very likely right," said the house-mouse. "All the more reason
why I should value my good fortune while it lasts. But, all the same, I
can't understand how my good fortune can be your misfortune."

[Illustration: THERE SAT THE MOUSE IN THE SUGAR BASIN.]

"Oh, it's not so difficult to understand as all that!" said the
wood-mouse. "You see, when a forester is very old, he looks after the
wood badly. He is no longer able to shoot and, taken all round, he knows
nothing about what goes on out of doors. The result is that there is
such an immense number of foxes and martens and polecats and buzzards
out here that one of us can hardly stir from her hole without risking
her life. Now, if a new and young forester were to come, you can easily
understand what a change that would make in things."

"Oh yes!" said the house-mouse. "Now I understand! But tell me, cousin,
don't you think the new forester would also go for the mice, if he
could? It seems to me I have heard the old one say that the mice are the
wood's worst enemies. And it must be the wood-mice he means. For I don't
know of any harm that I do to the wood."

[Illustration]

The wood-mouse set up her tail and shook her little head sorrowfully:

"Cousin," she said, "you have touched me on my very sorest point."

"I am really sorry, cousin," said the house-mouse. "But it appears to me
that it was you who began to talk about it."

"So it was, cousin," said the wood-mouse. "And we don't do any good by
holding our tongues. You see, cousin, there is a great deal of
wickedness in this world; and we have to put up with it. But it's
pretty hard when it comes from one's relations."

"That's true, cousin," said the house-mouse. "Are there really any of
your relations who do you any harm?"

"Harm?" said the wood-mouse. "I daresay that those of whom I'm thinking
don't think of doing me any harm. But they do so for this reason, that
they behave themselves in such a way that we have to suffer for it. And,
as far as relationship is concerned, they are your relations as well as
mine."

"But who are they, cousin?" ask