So in a little while they became great friends . And I am very glad to say , that Tom learned such a lesson that day , that he did not torment creatures for a long time after . And then the caddises grew quite tame , and used to tell him strange stories about the way they built their houses , and changed their skins , and turned at last into winged flies ; till Tom began to long to change his skin , and have wings like them some day . And the trout and he made it up -LRB- for trout very soon forget if they have been frightened and hurt -RRB- . So Tom used to play with them at hare and hounds , and great fun they had ; and he used to try to leap out of the water , head over heels , as they did before a shower came on ; but somehow he never could manage it . He liked most , though , to see them rising at the flies , as they sailed round and round under the shadow of the great oak , where the beetles fell flop into the water , and the green caterpillars let themselves down from the boughs by silk ropes for no reason at all ; and then changed their foolish minds for no reason at all either ; and hauled themselves up again into the tree , rolling up the rope in a ball between their paws ; which is a very clever rope-dancer 's trick , and neither Blondin nor Leotard could do it : but why they should take so much trouble about it no one can tell ; for they can not get their living , as Blondin and Leotard do , by trying to break their necks on a string . And very often Tom caught them just as they touched the water ; and caught the alder-flies , and the caperers , and the cock-tailed duns and spinners , yellow , and brown , and claret , and gray , and gave them to his friends the trout . Perhaps he was not quite kind to the flies ; but one must do a good turn to one 's friends when one can . And at last he gave up catching even the flies ; for he made acquaintance with one by accident and found him a very merry little fellow . And this was the way it happened ; and it is all quite true . He was basking at the top of the water one hot day in July , catching duns and feeding the trout , when he saw a new sort , a dark gray little fellow with a brown head . He was a very little fellow indeed : but he made the most of himself , as people ought to do . He cocked up his head , and he cocked up his wings , and he cocked up his tail , and he cocked up the two whisks at his tail-end , and , in short , he looked the cockiest little man of all little men . And so he proved to be ; for instead of getting away , he hopped upon Tom 's finger , and sat there as bold as nine tailors ; and he cried out in the tiniest , shrillest , squeakiest little voice you ever heard , `` Much obliged to you , indeed ; but I do n't want it yet . '' `` Want what ? '' said Tom , quite taken aback by his impudence . `` Your leg , which you are kind enough to hold out for me to sit on . I must just go and see after my wife for a few minutes . Dear me ! what a troublesome business a family is ! ''
-LRB- though the idle little rogue did nothing XXXXX all , but left his poor wife to lay all the eggs by herself -RRB- .
about as at by for from that to under upon