s; but still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are
alike to me.'

'Not when I am near,' said the Man. 'If you had not said that last I
would have put all these things away for always and always and always;
but I am now going to throw my two boots and my little stone axe (that
makes three) at you whenever I meet you. And so shall all proper Men do
after me!'

Then the Dog said, 'Wait a minute. He has not made a bargain with me or
with all proper Dogs after me.' And he showed his teeth and said, 'If
you are not kind to the Baby while I am in the Cave for always and
always and always, I will hunt you till I catch you, and when I catch
you I will bite you. And so shall all proper Dogs do after me.'

'Ah,' said the Woman, listening, 'this is a very clever Cat, but he is
not so clever as the Dog.'

Cat counted the Dog's teeth (and they looked very pointed) and he said,
'I will be kind to the Baby while I am in the Cave, as long as he does
not pull my tail too hard, for always and always and always. But still I
am the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to me.'

'Not when I am near,' said the Dog. 'If you had not said that last I
would have shut my mouth for always and always and always; but now I am
going to hunt you up a tree whenever I meet you. And so shall all proper
Dogs do after me.'

Then the Man threw his two boots and his little stone axe (that makes
three) at the Cat, and the Cat ran out of the Cave and the Dog chased
him up a tree; and from that day to this, Best Beloved, three proper Men
out of five will always throw things at a Cat whenever they meet him,
and all proper Dogs will chase him up a tree. But the Cat keeps his side
of the bargain too. He will kill mice and he will be kind to Babies when
he is in the house, just as long as they do not pull his tail too hard.
But when he has done that, and between times, and when the moon gets up
and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are
alike to him. Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods or up the Wet Wild
Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs, waving his wild tail and walking by his
wild lone.

PUSSY can sit by the fire and sing,
Pussy can climb a tree,
Or play with a silly old cork and string
To'muse herself, not me.
But I like Binkie my dog, because
He Lnows how to behave;
So, Binkie's the same as the First Friend was,
And I am the Man in the Cave.