"It happened ever and ever so long ago," he said, "one moonlight night when the house was very still.
"Mistress Puss came in through the door and looked about; then she sniffed, for you see on a platter on the shelf was a nice fish for the next day's dinner.
"Puss walked along to the window, and just before she jumped up on the sill so she could jump on the shelf I saw a mouse run along the shelf where the fish was and jump into a pie that was cut.
"He ran under the crust and began to nibble and, of course, did not see Puss; but when she reached the fish she gave it a pull and the tail hit the pie.
"Oh dear! when I think of it I just have to laugh," and Pitcher-man again held his sides while he almost burst with laughing.
"Oh, do tell us what happened!" asked the dishes, so interested they could hardly wait to hear the end of the story.
The Pitcher-man wiped his eyes and then went on: "As I said, the tail of the fish hit the pie where the mouse was eating. That, of course, scared him and he jumped out.
"He landed right on Puss's head and that scared her so she tumbled off the shelf, the fish on top of her.
"Puss never knew what happened. She thought the fish was alive and ran for her life, and the mouse hustled about helter-skelter trying to find the hole in the wall, for his wits were just scared out of his head.
"Oh dear! it was so funny, and the next day when the cook gave the fish-head to Puss she ran out of doors and cook thought she had a fit because no cat was ever known to refuse fish before.