A. (1)
"Three cats sat," &c. (Vol. ix., p.173.).—I am delighted to say that a long course of laborious research among the antiquities of nurserydom have enabled me to supply Julia R. Bockett (I dare not venture on any prefix to the name, for fear of doing grievous wrong in my ignorance of the lady's civil status) with the missing canto the poem her ancient friend is so desirous of completing. It will be seen to convey a charming lesson of amiable sociality—admirably adapted d'ailleurs to the pages of a work which seeks to encourage "intercommunications." It runs thus:
"Said one little cat,
To the other little cat,
If you don't speak, I must;
I must.
If you don't speak, I must."
Julia R. Bockett will doubtless feel with me, that though the antithesis requires that the "I" should be strongly emphasised in the first case, the sentiment expressed imperatively demands an intense force to be given to the "must" in the second repetition.
T. A. T.
Florence.