The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE

A Town Mouse and a Country Mouse knew each other, and one day the Country Mouse invited his friend to visit him in the fields. The Town Mouse came, and they sat down to a dinner of barleycorns and roots. The roots tasted quite earthy. The Town Mouse did not like the food very much. Soon he said, "My poor dear friend, you live no better than the ants out here. You should see how I eat! My cupboard is absolutely full of good things. Come and stay with me, and I promise you shall eat like a king." So when he went back to town, he took the Country Mouse with him. He showed him a cupboard full of flour and oatmeal and figs and honey and dates. The Country Mouse had never seen anything like it. He sat down to enjoy all the lovely food his friend had. But before they had really begun, the cupboard door opened and someone came in. The two mice ran away and hid in a narrow, very uncomfortable little hole. After a while, everything went quiet. They crept out again. But then someone else came in, and they ran and hid all over again. That was enough for the Country Mouse. "Good-bye," he said. "I'm going home. You have wonderful food here, I can see that. But there is danger all around you. At home I have simple roots and corn — and I can eat them in peace."