"I had to wash under the pump," said I. "Still, greatness lies in magnanimity. You shall choose your cake first; but remember, you cannot have it, and eat it, too; so make up your mind quickly which is better."
"I always thought that a stupid saying," remarked the Brat, as he helped himself to a ginger-nut with pink icing. "I have my cake, and when I have eaten it, I take another."
"Your experience in life has been fortunate," I replied, contenting myself with the second-best cake. "But it has not been long. When you are a man––"
"A man! I would rather die—young than grow up to be one."
"Indeed?" I exclaimed, surprised at this outburst.
"I hate men."
"Ah, perhaps then, your experience has not been as fortunate in men as in cakes."
"No, it hasn't. It has been just the opposite."
"One would say, 'Thereby hangs a tale.'"
"There does. But it is not for strangers."