“And once you’ve tasted it, you’ll eat nothing else.”

Coming out of his hole Mr Mouse scurried here and there; into corners he popped, and bags and boxes he’d gnaw so quickly and silently that Blinky was astounded.

“Wait a minute, Mr Mouse,” he whispered. “I’ll come down and help you.”

Very carefully he walked round the shelf again, all through the sticky muddle until he reached the chair. He climbed down, leaving jam everywhere. The pretty blue chair that Mrs Smifkins had just painted was decorated with paw marks and blobs.

“What a fat bear you are!” Mr Mouse remarked.

“I’ve just had a nice drink,” Blinky replied. “But where’s this cheese?”

“Let’s look over in that corner behind the sugar-bin,” Mr Mouse advised.

“You go first,” Blinky whispered.

Mr Mouse scampered away and Blinky saw his tail disappear round the bin.

“Here it is! Come and smell,” Mr Mouse called. Blinky crawled over to the corner, but he was far too big and fat to squeeze round behind the sugar-bin.

“Let’s have a look,” he said in a whisper.

“See, here it is, right in the corner!” Mr Mouse said, pointing to a funny looking object.

“It looks like wood to me,” Blinky replied as he squeezed his nose and eye round the end of the bin.

“It looks different to what it usually is,” said Mr Mouse. “But I can smell it, and the smell’s the same.”

“Stick your paw in and see,” advised Blinky.

“All right,” said Mr Mouse. “You keep an eye open for Mrs Smifkins.”

“Hurry up, then,” said Blinky. “She may be in any minute.” Really and truly he had forgotten all about the Smifkinses, and now that Mr Mouse mentioned them, he felt rather nervous.

Mr Mouse crept closer to the strange object. He put out his whiskers and sniffed. Yes, it was cheese, and no mistake.

“Grab it,” Blinky whispered.

Mr Mouse became braver and made a dart at the cheese.

Snap!

“Goodness! What was that?” Blinky asked, frightened beyond everything. Mr Mouse made no reply.

“What was that noise?” Blinky asked again. But still Mr Mouse did not reply.

“Are you gobbling up all the cheese?” Blinky asked angrily. Still Mr Mouse did not reply.

Becoming alarmed at his friend’s silence, Blinky pushed his other eye into the narrow space and — oh, how dreadful! He turned pale with fright and sprang out of the corner.

Poor Mr Mouse was lying on the floor, his head caught in the trap and his body as flat as a pancake. Even his tail looked dead, Blinky thought. It lay so still and straight.

“Well, if that’s cheese, I don’t want any,” he muttered to himself. “And I’m getting out of this Smifkins place. It is too dangerous.”

“Well if that’s cheese, I don’t want any,” he muttered to himself.

Trembling with fright and still quite pale, he pattered around the pantry, and imagine his joy when he saw a tiny window open not far above the shelf. He wasted no time in climbing up again, and in his excitement knocked down Mrs Smifkins’s very best fruit dish.

“Poof!” he said as he took a hurried glance at the broken dish. “Serves her right for killing Mr Mouse.” Up to the window-ledge he climbed. It was a very small window, just large enough as it happened for him to squeeze through, and best of all, outside stood a big gum-tree, with one branch right up against the window. Blinky was in that tree in no time. But when he had time to think about matters, he thought it wisest to go right away from the Smifkinses’ house; so softly he climbed down out of the tree. Over the orchard he went, and back into the bush again.

Oh, dear! it was beautiful to see all the gum-trees again. And he felt very, very happy as he heard the different birds calling to one another just as day broke. Finding a comfortable tree, one that was very tall and straight, he climbed to the topmost branch and there, cuddled up in a corner, closed his tired little eyes and went to sleep.

CHAPTER 9
Blinky Meets Willie Wagtail

ug, tug, tug. “Whatever is that?” Blinky thought as he opened his eyes and looked around, still feeling rather sleepy. Something had pulled his ear.

Before he had time to make quite sure that he was not dreaming, another tug fully awakened him.

“Could it be Mr Smifkins again?” he wondered, and carefully put up his paw to feel his ear.

Imagine his surprise when he felt a little bird, and screwing up his eyes he tried to see what cheeky fellow was trying to nest there.

All he could see was a very pretty tail that kept bobbing about, first in one direction and then in another.

“Ah! I know who you are!” Blinky said very cheerily. “You’re Willie Wagtail.”

“Quite true,” came the reply. “I’m sorry I woke you, Mr Koala, but I’m in such a hurry to finish my nest.