I hastened at the call, and, if the truth must be told, far from being pleased, the deed troubled me in the highest degree.
The little mouse lay dead in Micifuf's claws, and the cat was showing himself off, proud of his achievement.
"I hope," said he, "that you will give me the reward agreed on."
Then I could no longer restrain my indignation, and, seizing a stick, I began to whack the traitor, saying to him:
"Wretch! At first you would have deceived me, and now, by practising the wiles of traitors, you have murdered him to whom you offered protection. Take the reward which all traitors receive."
At each blow with the stick Micifuf snorted, leaping high into the air, until at length he dashed through a pane of the window and threw himself out into the street. I did not wish to know whether he was killed or not. He well deserved to be killed.
And since then, everybody who has recourse to deceit seems hateful to me, even though they deceive for the purpose of killing the most troublesome of little mice.
TROMPETILLA AND TROMPETIN
"What are you doing here, boy?" asked a venerable friar of Rupert, who was sitting near his accordion in the neighbourhood of a wood as if he were preparing himself to give a solemn performance to the oaks.
