llustration]

But it was all rather provoking to poor hungry Simpkin!

Particularly he was vexed with some little shrill voices from behind a
wooden lattice. I think that they were bats, because they always have very
small voices--especially in a black frost, when they talk in their sleep,
like the Tailor of Gloucester.

They said something mysterious that sounded like--

"Buz, quoth the blue fly, hum, quoth the bee,
Buz and hum they cry, and so do we!"

and Simpkin went away shaking his ears as if he had a bee in his bonnet.

[Illustration]

From the tailor's shop in Westgate came a glow of light; and when Simpkin
crept up to peep in at the window it was full of candles. There was a
snippeting of scissors, and snappeting of thread; and little mouse voices
sang loudly and gaily--

"Four-and-twenty tailors
Went to catch a snail,
The best man amongst them
Durst not touch her tail,
She put out her horns
Like a little kyloe cow,
Run, tailors, run! or she'll have you all e'en now!"

Then without a pause the little mouse voices went on again--

"Sieve my lady's oatmeal,
Grind my lady's flour,
Put it in a chestnut,
Let it stand an hour----"

[Illustration]

"Mew! Mew!" interrupted Simpkin, and he scratched at the door. But the
key was under the tailor's pillow, he could not get in.

The little mice only laughed, and tried another tune--

"Three little mice sat down to spin,
Pussy passed by and she peeped in.
What are you at, my fine little men?
Making coats for gentlemen.
Shall I come in and cut off your threads?
Oh, no, Miss Pussy, you'd bite off our heads!"

"Mew! Mew!" cried Simpkin. "Hey diddle dinketty?" answered the little
mice--

"Hey diddle dinketty, poppetty pet!
The merchants of London they wear scarlet;
Silk in the collar, and gold in the hem,
So merrily march the merchantmen!"

[Illustration]

They clicked their thimbles to mark the time, but none of the songs
pleased Simpkin; he sniffed and mewed at the door of the shop.

"And then I bought
A pipkin and a popkin,
A slipkin and a slopkin,
All for one farthing----

and upon the kitchen dresser!" added the rude little mice.

"Mew! scratch! scratch!" scuffled Simpkin on the window-sill; while the
little mice inside sprang to their feet, and all began to shout