The tailor came out of his shop at dark, for he did not sleep there at nights; he fastened the window and locked the door, and took away the key. No one lived there at night but little brown mice, and they run in and out without any keys!
For behind the wooden wainscots of all the old houses in Gloucester, there are little mouse staircases and secret trap-doors; and the mice run from house to house through those long narrow passages; they can run all over the town without going into the streets.
But the tailor came out of his shop, and shuffled home through the snow. He lived quite near by in College Court, next the doorway to College Green; and although it was not a big house, the tailor was so poor he only rented the kitchen.
He lived alone with his cat; it was called Simpkin.
Now all day long while the tailor was out at work, Simpkin kept house by himself; and he also was fond of the mice, though he gave them no satin for coats!
“Miaw?” said the cat when the tailor opened the door. “Miaw?”
The tailor replied— “Simpkin, we shall make our fortune, but I am worn to a ravelling. Take this groat (which is our last fourpence) and Simpkin, take a china pipkin; buy a penn’orth of bread, a penn’orth of milk and a penn’orth of sausages. And oh, Simpkin, with the last penny of our fourpence buy me one penn’orth of cherry-coloured silk. But do not lose the last penny of the fourpence, Simpkin, or I am undone and worn to a thread-paper, for I have NO MORE TWIST.”
Then Simpkin again said, “Miaw?” and took the groat and the pipkin, and went out into the dark.
The tailor was very tired and beginning to be ill. He sat down by the hearth and talked to himself about that wonderful coat.
“I shall make my fortune — to be cut bias — the Mayor of Gloucester is to be married on Christmas Day in the morning, and he hath ordered a coat and an embroidered waistcoat — to be lined with yellow taffeta — and the taffeta sufficeth; there is no more left over in snippets than will serve to make tippets for mice — — “
Then the tailor started; for suddenly, interrupting him, from the dresser at the other side of the kitchen came a number of little noises —
Tip tap, tip tap, tip tap tip!

裁缝走出店铺，在雪中拖着缓慢的脚步往家走。他住在大学附近，紧挨着格林学院的
大门。这房子其实不大，但他实在太穷了，所以只能租下这房子里的厨房栖身。
他孤身一人，只有他的猫和他住在一起。猫的名字叫辛普金。
现在裁缝整天在外工作，辛普金独自待在家里。他也很喜欢老鼠，不过他不会给老鼠
做绸缎外套！
“喵——”裁缝开门的时候，猫叫了两声，“喵——”
裁缝说道：“辛普金，我们可要发大财了，不过现在我累坏了。拿着这枚硬币，这可是
我们最后的四便士了。哦，辛普金，拿个瓷器罐，去买一便士的面包，一便士的牛奶，一
便士的香肠。哦，还有，辛普金，用最后的一便士给我买些樱桃色的捻线。可别弄丢了这
最后一便士，辛普金，不然我的希望可就全破灭了，我会饿死的，我已经没有捻线了。”
辛普金又“喵”了一声，叼着硬币和罐子，跑进了夜色里。
裁缝已经很累了。他觉得有点儿不舒服，于是在炉边坐下，在脑海里描绘着那件美妙
的外套。
“我要走运了，再没有人瞧不起我了。格洛斯特市市长要在圣诞节早上结婚，他在我这
里定做了一件外套和一件绣花马甲。用黄色塔夫绸做衬里，塔夫绸够用了。但是，没有剩
余的边角料给老鼠做披肩了。”
突然，裁缝吃了一惊。从厨房另一侧的碗柜那边传来一连串细微的声响，打断了他的
遐思。
“叮当，叮当，叮当当！”

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