THE BANQUET 723

The sentence sounded well, but somehow I couldn't quite understand it; and the Other Professor seemed to L^ be no better off. "Such as it isn't what? he peevishly enquired. "It isn't as hot as it might be," the Professor replied, catching at the first idea that came to hand. "Ah, I see what you mean nowT the Other Professor graciously remarked. "It's very badly expressed, but I quite see it now! Thirteen minutes and a half ago," he went on, looking first at Bruno and then at his watch as he spoke, "you said 'this Cat's very kind to the Mouses.' It must be a singular animal!" "So it are^ said Bruno, after carefully examining the Cat, to make sure how many there were of it. "But how do you know it's kind to the Mouses — or, more correctly speaking, the Mice? "'cause it plays with the Mouses," said Bruno; "for to amuse them, 00 know." "But that is just what I dont know," the Other Pro- fessor rejoined. "My belief is, it plays with them to }{ill them!" "Oh, that's quite a accident!" Bruno began, so eagerly, that it was evident he had already propounded this very difficulty to the Cat. "It 'splained all that to me, while it were drinking the milk. It said *I teaches the Mouses new games: the Mouses likes it ever so much.' It said *Some- times little accidents happens : sometimes the Mouses kills theirselves.' It said Ts always welly sorry, when the Mouses kills theirselves.' It said — " "If it was so very sorry," Sylvie said, rather disdain- fully, "it wouldn't eat the Mouses after they'd killed them- selves!" But this difficulty, also, had evidently not been lost sight of in the exhaustive ethical discussion just concluded. "It