At that the mare gave a flick of her tail and hit the Bluebottle slap! bang! right in the middle of his bright azure waistcoat, so that he was sent spinning in among the straw that littered the floor.
So there he lay, buzzing mournfully, till the maiden bluebottle came along and rubbed him all over, and put him on his feet again.
And pretty soon he was gayer than ever, and thought how he would go courting once more.
“Better stick to your own station,” said his lady friend.
But he only tossed his head and sniffed scornfully.
And then he put on a brand-new waistcoat and flew into the king’s kitchen, where the princess’s favorite cat lay purring on the hearth.
And the Bluebottle lost no time at all, but crept straight into the cat’s right ear and sang his song:
“Zum, zum, zoo,
I want to marry you!”
Now, the cat had just been dreaming the most delicious dream about the fattest mouse you can think of, and the buzzing in her ear just woke her up in the most exciting part.