<h2 class='c008'>BELLING THE CAT</h2>
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<div><span class='sc'>Characters</span>—<em>Old Mouse</em>, <em>Three Young Mice</em></div>
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<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Old Mouse.</em></span>
Oh dear, dear, dear! That old cat ate Squeak Nibble to-day. What can we do?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Second Mouse.</em></span>
Well, we must do something! She’ll eat us all, one by one!</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Third Mouse.</em></span>
How can we keep her from catching all the rest of us?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Fourth Mouse.</em></span>
Yes, how can we? If we could only know when she is coming. Her paws are so soft that we
cannot hear her.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Second Mouse.</em></span>
I have it! One of us will watch her all the time. When <span class="pagenum" id='Page_38'>38</span>the cat is coming he must
squeak as loud as he can.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Old Mouse.</em></span>
Watch her, indeed! She’d soon catch that little mouse.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Fourth Mouse.</em></span>
No, that will never do.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Third Mouse.</em></span>
Let’s stay in our holes. Then she’ll starve to death.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>All the Mice.</em></span>
Ha-ha-ha! A fine plan.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Old Mouse.</em></span>
A fine plan, indeed! Do you think the cat eats nothing but mice? And how should we get
anything to eat if we stayed in our holes?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Fourth Mouse.</em></span>
My friends, listen to me. Let us hang a bell round her neck. That will tell us when she
is coming. Then we can run and hide.</p>
<span class="pagenum" id='Page_39'>39</span>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Second Mouse.</em></span>
Good, good!</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Third Mouse.</em></span>
The very thing!</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Fourth Mouse.</em></span>
Nothing could be better.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Old Mouse.</em></span>
[<em>Thoughtfully.</em>] But who will hang the bell on the cat’s neck?</p>
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<div>[<em>Silence.</em>]</div>
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<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Second Mouse.</em></span>
I will not.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Third Mouse.</em></span>
Not <em>this</em> little mouse.</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>Old Mouse.</em></span>
But some one must do it. Who will?</p>
<p><span class='dl_1'><em>All.</em></span>
Sure enough, who?</p>
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<ANTIMG src='images/p039.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /></div>
<span class="pagenum" id='Page_40'>40</span>
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