Perez the Mouse   By: Luis Coloma (1851-1915)

by

PADRE LOUIS COLOMA and LADY MORETON

PEREZ THE MOUSE

[Illustration: Perez the Mouse took off his hat and made a very low bow]

PEREZ THE MOUSE

Adapted from the Spanish of

PADRE LUIS COLOMA

by

LADY MORETON

[Silhouette]

With Illustrations by George Howard Vyse

London: John Lane The Bodley Head New York: Dodd, Mead & Company

First published in 1914 Reprinted 1918 Reprinted 1927 Reprinted 1929 Reprinted 1935

Printed in Great Britain by Western Printing Services Ltd., Bristol

LIST OF COLOURED PLATES

Perez the Mouse took off his hat and made a very low bow Frontispiece King Bubi the First face p. vi The Oldest of Court Doctors 9 Miss Stilton, the Governess 11 A tiny little mouse in a straw hat and slippers and big gold spectacles 15 Adolphus studying for Diplomacy 16 Adelaide made tea 17 The King sneezed very hard and turned into the most darling little mouse you ever saw 18 Perez the Mouse stopped at some crossway 22 Mrs. Mouse was embroidering a beautiful smoking cap for her husband 24 Adolphus playing cards at the Jockey Club 25 The Guards silently formed up ready to fire 28 Ferocious mice .. armed to the teeth 29 The Order of the Golden Fleece 32 The King and Perez knelt down too 33 The dreadful Don Pedro 36 Elvira recited 40

[Illustration: King Bubi the First]

PEREZ THE MOUSE

Once upon a time there lived a king called Bubi the First, who was very kind to poor children and mice. For the children he built a factory for making dolls and cardboard horses, for the benefit of the mice he made wise laws to stop cats catching them, and absolutely forbade the use of mouse traps. Bubi began to reign when he was only six years old, under the care of his mother, who was very good and clever, and who watched over him and guided his steps, as good children are guided by their Guardian Angel.

[Illustration: The oldest of the Court Doctors]

Bubi was a darling little boy, and when on great days they put on his gold crown and his embroidered robes, the gold of his crown was not brighter than his hair nor the ermine of his robes softer than his cheeks and hands. He was just like a little Dresden china figure which had been put to sit on a throne instead of standing on the chimney piece.

One day while the King was eating his bread and milk, one of his teeth began to wobble. There was a great fuss and the Court doctors arrived in a hurry. They were all agreed that His Majesty had begun to change his teeth, and at length they settled to pull out the loose one. They wanted the King to have laughing gas, as he did when his hair was cut, as he always fidgeted so, but Bubi was a brave little boy and made up his mind to have it out with nothing. The oldest of the Court doctors tied a bit of red silk round the tooth, and then gave a tweak, and he pulled so cleverly that, while the King was making a face, out came the tooth as round and white as a little pearl.

Then there was another fuss as to what was to be done with it, but Bubi's mother, who, as we have said was a very wise Queen and very loyal to old customs, settled that the King should write a very polite letter and put it with the tooth in an envelope under his pillow that night, which has always been the proper thing to do ever since the world began, and no one has ever known Perez the Mouse forget to come and fetch the tooth and leave a lovely present in its place.

[Illustration: Miss Stilton, the Governess]