He waved his startled kinsfolk aside while the baskets were ranged in a neat row on the floor of the hall, then he paid the porter, feebly, and shut the door after him with an air of exhaustion. He leaned back against it and said:
“I had a sudden message—Aunt Amelia is going to pay a surprise visit to this inf—this cats’ home these little friends are pretending to run for her. I saw that there was no time to lose—there must be a cats’ home with cats in it—or she’d cut them both out of her will. I bought cats—all over London—they’ve been with me ever since—yowling—they yowled in the taxi—all over London—they traveled down as far as Rowington with me and an old gentleman—a high-spirited old gentleman—yowling—not only the cats but the old gentleman, too—-and they traveled from Rowington to Little Deeping with me and two maiden ladies—timid maiden ladies!—yowling! But come on: we’ve got to make a cats’ home at once!” And he picked up one of the plaintive baskets with the air of a man desperately resolved to act on the instant or perish.
“But we’ve got a cats’ home—only it’s full of kittens,” said Erebus gently.
“Good heavens! Do you mean to say I’ve gone through this nightmare for nothing?” cried Sir Maurice, dropping the basket.
“Oh, no; it was awfully good of you!” said the Terror with swift politeness. “The cats will come in awfully useful.”
“They’ll make the home look so much more natural. All kittens isn’t natural,” said Erebus.
“And they’ll be such a pleasant surprise for Aunt Amelia. She was only expecting kittens,” said the Terror.
“What?” howled Sir Maurice. “Do you mean to say I’ve parleyed for hours with a high-spirited gentleman and two—two—timid maiden ladies, just to give your Aunt Amelia a pleasant surprise?”
He sank into a chair and wiped his beaded brow feebly. “I ought to have had more confidence in you,” he said faintly. “I ought to know your powers by now. And I did. I know well that any people who have dealings with you are likely to get a surprise; but I thought your Aunt Amelia was going to get it; and I’ve got it myself.”
“But you didn’t think that we would humbug Aunt Amelia?” said the Terror in a pained tone and with the most virtuous air.