Two little heads very busy with the saucer.
One day the milk was put down as usual, but Salome didn’t hurry to go to it. The fact was she had come in from the garden, and as she sat on the window-seat, she discovered her paws were rather damp and dirty. She was a fussy and particular cat who thought a great deal of appearance, and she was very busy licking her paws soft and velvety again before having her tea. Now was Tompkins’ chance. He watched his mother very carefully and then stole quietly up to the saucer. But Minette had seen him and she didn’t mean to be left behind, so soon there were two little heads very busy with the saucer. They lapped so quietly that no one noticed them, and it was not till their mother had finished her wash and jumped down to have her milk that she saw what had happened. And by then the milk was nearly all gone.
What did their mother do?
I know what she ought to have done. Scolded them well and given them a little scratch, but cats are very funny and not a bit like people or dogs. Salome just pretended she didn’t care a bit. She made out she wasn’t thirsty and never mewed for any more milk. She jumped on to the window seat again and stared out of the window, and the naughty little kittens thought themselves very clever indeed.
CHAPTER III
MINETTE FINDS THE KITCHEN
One day Minette smelt a nice fishy smell. It tempted her out of the room, down a passage and round a corner till she arrived at the kitchen. Here she came face to face with a strange cat. The cook was just making fish cakes, and Tibby the kitchen cat was asking for some with loud miaous. Minette was very alarmed at first, she thought this strange cat might scratch her, but Tibby was much too busy to take any notice of a little kitten and kept miaouing and staring up at the fish. Minette thought she would rather like to try a little, it certainly smelt very tempting. At last a scrap fell on the floor. Of course Minette rushed at it. But, oh, dear! how she wished she hadn’t! There was such a noise; Tibby flew at her with a nasty spiteful swear, growled at her, snatched the fish away and ate it up herself. Poor Minette felt so hurt and surprised, it wasn’t a bit how her dignified mother would have behaved.