08. Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer

Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer We're a notorious couple of cats As knockabout clowns, quick-change comedians Tight-rope walkers and acrobats We have an extensive reputation We make our home in Victoria Grove This is merely our centre of operation For we are incurably given to rove When the family assembles for Sunday dinner With their minds made up that they won't get thinner On Argentine joint, potatoes and greens And the cook will appear from behind the scenes And say in a voice that is broken with sorrow, "I'm afraid you must wait and have dinner tomorrow! For the joint has gone from the oven like that!" The family will say, "It's that horrible cat! It was Mungojerrie or Rumpelteazer!" And most of the time they leave it at that Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer have a wonderful way of working together And some of the time you would say it was luck And some of the time you would say it was weather We go through the house like a hurricane And no sober person could take his oath Was it Mungojerrie or Rumpelteazer? Or could you have sworn that it mightn't be both? And when you hear a dining room smash Or up from the pantry there comes a loud crash Or down from the library there comes a loud ping From a vase that was commonly said to be Ming The family will say: "Now which was which cat? It was Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer!" And there's nothing at all to be done about that!