--- title: Just So Stories, The Cat that Walked by Himself, part 2: the bargain, the Bat and the Baby — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Just So Stories, The Cat that Walked by Himself, part 2: the bargain, the Bat and the Baby», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Wild Cow comes next and promises her milk every day for the wonderful grass; she --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/) / Just So Stories, The Cat that Walked b… # Just So Stories, The Cat that Walked by Himself, part 2: the bargain, the Bat and the Baby Lesson 94 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 34 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/0/) — Wild Cow comes next and promises her milk every day for the wonderful grass; she becomes the Giver of Good Food. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/1/) — Then no one else comes, so the Cat walks up by himself and asks to come in. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/2/) — The Woman says they need no more friends or servants. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/3/) — «I am not a friend, and I am not a servant,» says the Cat. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/4/) — «I am the Cat who walks by himself, and I wish to come into your cave.» - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/5/) — The Cat flatters her: she is wise and beautiful and should not be cruel. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/6/) — The Woman makes a bargain: one word in his praise and he may come into the Cave; two words and he may sit by the fire; three and he may drink the warm white milk three times a day. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/7/) — «I never shall,» she says. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/8/) — The Cat asks the curtain, the fire and the milk-pots to remember. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/9/) — The Cat hides in the woods for a long time, till the Woman forgets him. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/10/) — Only the little upside-down Bat knows where he is and brings him news: there is a new Baby in the Cave, fond of soft, tickly, warm things and of being played with. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/11/) — «Then my time has come,» says the Cat. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/12/) — One busy morning the Baby cries outside the Cave. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/13/) — The Cat pats his cheek and tickles him with his tail, and the Baby laughs. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/14/) — The Woman, not seeing who it is, says «A blessing on that Wild Thing», and whoosh, the horse-skin curtain falls: the Cat is inside. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/15/) — Then she lets him play a string game with the spindle-whorl until the Baby laughs and falls asleep, and the Cat purrs him a sleep-song. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/16/) — «That was wonderfully done,» says the Woman; puff, the smoke comes down, and the Cat is sitting by the fire. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/18/) — Her new name: «the Giver of Good Food. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/19/) — She will give us the warm white milk for always and always and always.» - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/20/) — The Woman to the Cat: «I have braided up my hair, and I have put away the magic blade-bone, and we have no more need of either friends or servants in our Cave.» - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/21/) — The Cat «pretended to be sorry» and said «You are very wise and very beautiful. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/22/) — You should not be cruel even to a Cat.» The Woman: «I knew I was wise, but I did not know I was beautiful.» - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/23/) — The bargain: one word of praise, into the Cave; two words, by the fire; three words, the warm white milk three times a day «for always and always and always». - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/24/) — The Woman does not tell the Man, the Horse and the Dog about the bargain, «because she was afraid that they might not like it». - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/25/) — The Bat says: «There is a Baby in the Cave. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/26/) — He is new and pink and fat and small, and the Woman is very fond of him.» The Cat asks: «but what is the Baby fond of?» - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/27/) — That busy morning the Woman carried the crying Baby outside and gave him a handful of pebbles to play with, but he went on crying. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/30/) — The Woman is very angry; she shuts her lips tight, takes up her spinning and says nothing. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/32/) — The second word: «That was wonderfully done. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/33/) — No question but you are very clever, O Cat.» The smoke comes down «puff!» and the Cat is by the fire. - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/34/) — Real life: a spindle whorl is a small weight of clay or stone on a stick, used for spinning thread for thousands of years; the spinning-wheel, which Kipling also mentions, was invented much later, about a thousand years ago. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/35/) — Real life: most grown-up cats cannot digest cow's milk well, and it can upset their tummies; water is the best drink for a cat. - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/36/) — Real life: bats really do hang upside down and find their way in the dark by listening to the echoes of their own squeaks; cats really purr, and kittens play-hunt string to practise catching prey. - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/94-justso-cat-2-a-bargain-and-a-baby/37/) — Talk in this lesson: «rizz» = charm, the power to win people over; «aye» (Scotland, North England) = yes; «proper job» (Cornwall) = well done; «just now» (South Africa) = in a while, later. - ← previous: [Just So Stories, The Cat that Walked by Himself, part 1: the First Friend and the First Servant](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/93-justso-cat-1-the-first-friend-and-the-first-servant/) - next →: [Just So Stories, The Cat that Walked by Himself, part 3: the third word, the Man, the Dog, and how cats really came to live with us](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/95-justso-cat-3-the-cat-walks-by-himself/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)