ecat and the marten and the stork and, above all, the owl for me. You
can't imagine what a terribly cunning enemy the owl is. One simply can't
hear him flying. One can't see him either, for he only comes at night
and his colours are dark. And they all see as well at night as an
ordinary body does in broad daylight. And he has all these fellows
gratis. The cat and the trap he has to buy. But his forest-police he
gets for nothing."

"That's true," said the house-mouse.

"Therefore it's not I either," said the wood-mouse. "It's not you and
it's not I. Shall I tell you who it is? It's our cousin, the
field-mouse. The mice have done it, the story goes. And who are the
mice? It's the field-mouse. But he is not the only one who has to be
prosecuted and punished. Any one bearing the name of mouse is
mercilessly and ruthlessly struck down. People are so stupid. They can
see no difference. And I don't know how to teach them any better. It's
too bad!"

"But, cousin," said the house-mouse, "you haven't told me yet what the
field-mouse does that the rest of us are blamed for. It must be
something shocking to upset you so."

"Indeed, the forester is more upset than I am," said the wood-mouse.
"And I don't deny that he has every reason to be. You see, just round
the corner is a beautiful, green forest-glade. The deer come out here
and graze, early in the morning, and they drink from a brook that runs
through the glade. It makes a charming picture. I have seen it myself on
many a fine summer morning, when I have come home rejoicing at my good
luck in escaping the owl and the other ruffians. Well, the forester is
particularly fond of the glade, because he uses it for his horses. He
makes hay there. And it's the loveliest forest-hay that you can
imagine."

"Yes, I know," said the house-mouse. "I saw him carting hay into the
barn last year."

"Yes, but there will be no hay this year," said the wood-mouse. "You
see, cousin, some time ago the glade began to wither and turn yellow. It
became yellower and yellower every day. The keeper came and told the
forester. They were out the other day looking at it. Then they
discovered that all the grass-roots were eaten up or gnawed through.
They were able to roll up the whole grassy surface like a carpet; and
they did so. I was sitting at the edge of the wood myself, looking on.
The grass was gone and the hay and everything; and the field-mouse had
done it."

"Our cousin must be awfully hun