Tam, the feral tom, begs breakfast through the storm door
from Lord Lundy
Lord Lundy from his earliest years
Was far too freely moved to Tears.
For instance, if his Mother said,
“Lundy! It’s time to go to Bed?!
He bellowed like a Little Turk.
Or if his father Lord Dunquerque
Said “Hi!” in a Commanding Tone,
“Hi, Lundy! Leave the Cat alone!”
Lord Lundy, letting go its tail,
Would raise so terrible a wail
As moved His Grandpapa the Duke
To utter the severe rebuke:
“When I, Sir! was a little Boy,
An Animal was not a Toy!”— Hillaire Belloc, Cautionary Tales for Children (1907)
