"Now look here!" said the old gentleman rabbit, and he pointed his long ears and his crutch at the green bug, "why do you say such things when you know they aren't so? Katy never threw any nuts at me--they just dropped down off the tree themselves. I'm sure of it. Katy never did it, and she feels badly to have you say so."
"Katy did! Katy did!" cried the insect again, as if he hadn't heard the rabbit speak. "I have to say it, you know," he went on, as he scraped his two long hind legs together. "I have to call out that Katy did, Uncle Wiggily."
"You do? Even when she didn't do it?" asked the rabbit, surprised-like.
"Yes," said the insect. "Katy did! Katy did! I have to call--Katy did."
"Oh, I think it's just too horrid for anything!" said poor Katy, almost ready to cry.
"I wish you wouldn't say such things about a nice pussy," spoke the grasshopper. "For Katy didn't do it. I know she didn't."
And just then, off in another tree, there came a second voice calling:
"Katy didn't! Katy didn't!"
"There, I knew some one would be kind to me!" exclaimed the pussy. "Some one knows I didn't do it. I didn't throw the nuts."