`And that was the reason, I suppose,' the Lord Chancellor suggested, `why you didn't give it the rest of the milk?'
`No,' said Bruno. `It was a betterer reason. I tooked the saucer up 'cause it were so discontented!'
`It doesn't look so to me,' said the Lord Chancellor. `What made you think it was discontented?'
`'Cause it grumbled in its throat.'
`Oh, Bruno!' cried Sylvie. `Why, that's the way cats show they're pleased!'
Bruno looked doubtful. `It's not a good way,' he objected. `Oo wouldn't say I were pleased, if I made that noise in my throat!'
`What a singular boy!' the Lord Chancellor whispered to himself: but Bruno had caught the words.
`What do it mean to say "a singular boy"?' he whispered to Sylvie.
`It means one boy,' Sylvie whispered in return. `And plural means two or three.'
`Then I's welly glad I is a singular boy!' Bruno said with great emphasis. `It would be horrid to be two or three boys! P'raps they wouldn't play with me!'
`Why should they?' said the Other Professor, suddenly waking up out of a deep reverie. `They might be asleep, you know.'
`Couldn't, if I was awake,' Bruno said cunningly.
`Oh, but they might indeed!' the Other Professor protested. `Boys don't all go to sleep at once, you know. So these boys--but who are you talking about?'
`He never remembers to ask that first!' the Professor whispered to the children.
`Why, the rest of me, a-course!' Bruno exclaimed triumphantly. `Supposing I was two or three boys!'
The Other Professor sighed, and seemed to be sinking back into his reverie; but suddenly brightened up again, and addressed the Professor. `There's nothing more to be done now, is there?'
`Well, there's the dinner to finish,' the Professor said with a bewildered smile: `and the heat to bear. I hope you'll enjoy the dinner--such as it is; and that you wo'n't mind the heat--such as it isn't.'
The sentence sounded well, but somehow I couldn't quite understand it; and the Other Professor seemed to be no better off. `Such as it isn't what?' he peevishly enquired.
`It isn't as hot as it might be,' the Professor replied, catching at the first idea that came to hand.
`Ah, I see what you mean now!' the Other Professor graciously remarked. `It's very badly expressed, but I quite see it now! Thirteen minutes and a half ago,' he went on, looking first at Bruno and then at his watch as he spoke, `you said "this Cat's very kind to the Mouses." It must be a singular animal!'
`So it are,' said Bruno, after carefully examining the Cat, to make sure how many there were of it.
`But how do you know it's kind to the Mouses--or, more correctly speaking, the Mice?'
`'Cause it plays with the Mouses,' said Bruno; `for to amuse them, oo know.'