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THE CAT THAT WALKED BY HIMSELF (PART 2)

The Cat went far and far away and hid himself in the Wet Wild Woods for a long time till the Woman forgot all about him. Only the Bat that hung inside the Cave knew where the Cat was; and every evening the Bat flew to the Cat and told him all the news.

One evening the Bat said, "There is a Baby in the Cave. He is new and pink and fat and small, and the Woman is very fond of him."

"Ah," said the Cat, "but what is the Baby fond of?"

"He is fond of things that are soft and tickle," said the Bat. "He is fond of warm things to hold in his arms when he goes to sleep. He is fond of everybody who plays with him. He is fond of all these things."

"Ah," said the Cat to himself, "then my time has come."

Next night the Cat walked through the Wet Wild Woods and hid near the Cave till the morning, when the Man and the Dog and the Horse went hunting. The Woman was busy that morning, and the Baby cried and did not let her do anything. So she carried him outside the Cave, and gave him some little stones to play with. But still the Baby cried.

Then the Cat put out his soft paw and patted the Baby on the cheek, and the Baby smiled; and the Cat rubbed against his fat knees and tickled his fat chin with his tail. And the Baby laughed; and the Woman heard him and smiled.

Then the Bat that hung inside the Cave said, "O my Hostess and Wife of my Host and Mother of my Host's Son, a Wild Thing from the Wild Woods is most beautifully playing with your Baby."

"Many thanks to that Wild Thing," said the Woman, "for I was a busy woman this morning and it has done me a service."

That very minute and second the dried Wild-horse Skin that hung at the mouth of the Cave fell down, because it remembered the bargain between the Woman and the Cat, and when the Woman went to pick it up, the Cat was sitting inside the Cave.

"O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy," said the Cat, "it is I: for you have spoken a word in my praise, and now I can sit in the Cave for always and always and always. But still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me."

The Woman was very angry, and she shut her lips and began to spin.

But the Baby cried because he wanted to play with the Cat, and the Woman could not hush him, because he struggled and kicked and grew black in the face.

"O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy and Mother of my Enemy," said the Cat, "take a ball of wool and pull it across the floor, and I will show you a Magic that shall make your Baby laugh as loudly as he is now crying."

"I will do so," said the Woman, "but I will not thank you for it."

She took a ball of wool and pulled it across the floor, and the Cat ran after it and rolled it backward, and rolled it forward, till the Baby laughed very loudly; and he played with the Cat till he grew tired and fell asleep with the Cat in his arms.

"Now," said the Cat, "I will sing the Baby a song and he will sleep for an hour." And he began to purr, loud and low, low and loud, till the Baby fell fast asleep. The Woman looked at them, smiled and said, "You have done it wonderfully. You are very clever, О Cat."

That very minute and second the smoke of the fire at the back of the Cave came down in clouds, because it remembered the bargain between the Woman and the Cat, and when the cloud cleared away the Cat was already close to the fire.

"O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy and Mother of my Enemy," said the Cat, "it is I: for you have said a second word in my praise, and now I can sit by the warm fire at the back of the Cave for always and always and always. But still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me."

Then the Woman grew very, very angry, and she took the mutton-bone and began to make a Magic. She made a Magic, because she did not want to say a third word in praise of the Cat. It was not a Singing Magic, it was a Still Magic; and by and by it became so still in the Cave that a little mouse came out of a corner and ran across the floor.

"О my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy and Mother of my Enemy," said the Cat, "is that little mouse part of your Magic?"

"Oh! No, indeed!" cried the Woman, and she dropped the mutton-bone and jumped upon a big stone in front of the fire.

"Ah," said the Cat, "then the mouse will do me no harm if I eat it?"

"No," said the Woman, "eat it quickly, please!"

The Cat made one jump and caught the little mouse, and the Woman said, "A hundred thanks. Even the First Friend cannot catch little mice as quickly as you have done. You must be very wise."

That very minute and second the Milk-pot that stood by the fire broke in two pieces because it remembered the bargain between the Woman and the Cat, and when the Woman jumped down from the stone, the Cat was drinking the warm white milk from one of the broken pieces.

"О my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy and Mother of my Enemy," said the Cat, "it is I: for you have said three words in my praise, and now I can drink the warm white milk three times a day for always and always and always. But still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me."

Then the Woman laughed and gave the Cat a cup of the warm white milk and said, "O Cat, you are very clever, but remember that your bargain was not made with the Man or the Dog, and I do not know what they will do when they come home."

"What is that to me?" said the Cat. "If I have my place in the Cave by the fire and my warm white milk three times a day, I do not care what the Man or the Dog can do."

That evening when the Man and the Dog came into the Cave, the Woman told them all the story of the bargain, and the Cat sat by the fire and smiled. And the Man said, "It is all very well, but this Cat has not made a bargain with me or with all Men after me."

Then he took off his two heavy boots and he brought his little stone axe, and he said, "Now we shall make our bargain. If you do not catch mice when you are in the Cave for always and always and always, I will throw these things at you whenever I see you, and so shall all Men do after me."

"Ah," said the Woman to herself, "this is a very clever Cat, but he is not so clever as my Man."

The Cat said, "I will catch mice when I am in the Cave for always and always and always; but still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me."

"Not when I am near," said the Man; "If you had not said that last I would have put all these things away for always and always and always; but now I am going to throw my two boots and my little stone axe at you whenever I meet you. And so shall all Men do after me!"

Then the Dog said, "Wait a minute. You have not made a bargain with me or with all Dogs after me. If you are not kind to the Baby when I am in the Cave for always and always and always, I will hunt you till I catch you, and when I catch you I will bite you. And so shall all Dogs do after me."

"Ah," said the Woman to herself, "this is a very clever Cat, but he is not so clever as the Dog."

The Cat said, "I will be kind to the Baby when I am in the Cave, as long as he does not pull my tail too hard, for always and always and always. But still I am the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to me."

"Not when I am near," said the Dog; "If you had not said that last I would have shut my mouth for always and always and always; but now I am going to hunt you up a tree whenever I meet you. And so shall all Dogs do after me."

Then the Man threw his two boots and his little stone axe at the Cat, and the Cat ran out of the Cave and the Dog chased him up a tree; and from that day to this three Men out of five always throw things at a Cat whenever they meet him, and all Dogs chase him up a tree. But the Cat keeps his side of the bargain too. Не kills mice and he is kind to Babies when he is in the house, as long as they do not pull his tail too hard. But when he has done that, and when night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him. Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods or on the Wet Wild Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs, waving his wild tail and walking by himself.

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