The Palace Mouse and the Garden Mouse

While he was gnawing on a cheese in the pantry, a mouse was given such a scare by the house cat that he ended up somehow or other out in the middle of the garden.

He hid under a head of lettuce and began thinking. After much thought, he remembered that his father, God rest his soul, had once told him about a fieldmouse friend of his who lived in the garden under a fig tree. So he went round and round, found the burrow, and entered it.

His father's friend had also died, but his son was there. They introduced themselves, and the fieldmouse was so hospitable that, for two days, the palace mouse forgot all about pantry, cheese, and cat.

But by the third day he'd had his fill of turnips and hated the mere smell of them, so he said, "My friend, I must not impose on you any longer."

"Why must you leave so soon, my friend? Stay at least one more day."

"No, my friend, they are waiting for me back home."

"Who is waiting for you?"

"An uncle ... Listen, I have an idea. Walk me home. We'll have lunch together, and you'll come back here."

The field mouse, who was dying to see the house of a palace mouse, accepted, and they headed for the palace.

Once they were out of the garden, they climbed up a trellis and went through the little window of the pantry.

"What a charming house!" exclaimed the field mouse. "And what a delightful smell!"

"Go on down, my friend, don't be bashful. Make yourself at home."

"No, thank you, my friend. I'm inexperienced and might not be able to find my way back. I'd better stay here on the windowsill..."

"Well, wait a minute," said the palace mouse, and went down into the pantry by himself.

As he made his way to a piece of bacon, the cat lurking nearby jumped out and grabbed him.

"Eeeeeeeek! Eeeeeeeeeeek!" squealed the poor little victim.

The field mouse's heart pounded, and he thought to himself, What's he saying? Unkkkkkkk? Unkkkkkkkkkkk? So that's his uncle! A fine reception indeed! If that's how he receives his nephew, just imagine what he would do to me, a total stranger!

And in one bound he was back in the garden.