the yard where the dog was chained up, and, after spitting and
swearing at him, on more than one occasion took advantage of his being
at the end of his chain, and keeping just out of his reach scratched the
side of his nose, and tore the skin so that poor Boxer ran into his
kennel howling with pain, rage, and vexation; while Mrs Puss, setting
her fur all up, marched out of the yard a grander body than ever. And
then, too, she used to get all the titbits out of the kitchen that would
have fallen to Boxer's share; and he, poor fellow, used often to say to
the robin-redbreast who came for a crumb or two, that the pieces he
sometimes had smelt catty, from Puss turning them over and then refusing
them, when they came to the share of the poor dog.

So Boxer never forgave the scratch on his nose, nor yet Mrs Puss's
boast that he was afraid of her; so he walked softly along the wall, and
on to the tool-shed, and with one bouncing leap came down plop upon the
treacherous old grimalkin.

"Worry-worry-worry-ur-r-r-ry," said Boxer, as he got hold of Pussy's
thick skin at the nape of her neck, and shook away at it as hard as he
could.

"Wow-wow-wiau-au-au-aw," yelled Puss, wakened out of her sleep, and in
vain trying to escape.

"Hooray!" said the birds, flying round and round in a state of the
greatest excitement.

"Give it her, Boxer," shouted Mr Specklems, remembering the morning's
treachery.

And then off they rolled on to the ground, and over and over, righting,
howling, and yelling, till Mrs Puss made a desperate rush through a
gooseberry bush, and a thorn went so sharply into Boxer's nose that he
left go, and away went Puss across the garden till she came to the wall,
and was scrambling up it, when Boxer had her by the tail and dragged her
down again. But Puss made another rush towards the gate, dragging Boxer
after her, till she came to the trellis-work opening, through which she
dragged herself, and a moment after Boxer stood looking very foolish,
with a handful of fur off Puss's tail in his mouth; while she, with her
ragged ornament, was glad enough to sneak in-doors frightened to death,
and get to the bottom of the cellar, where she scared cook almost into
fits, by sitting upon a great lump of coal, with her eyes glaring like a
couple of green stars in the dark.

"Wow-wow-wow--bow-wow-wuff," said Boxer at last, when he found that his
enemy had gone. "Wuff-wuff," he said again, trying to get rid of the
fur stic