“It’s as like as not,” answered Michael.
“How pleased the cats seem to be!” said Posy, looking from the barn-cat, who watched the dead rat with so much satisfaction, to the gray kitten, who looked on from behind her, and the house-cat, who appeared at the door and looked in with great interest. The tiger-kittens came too, and were so curious they couldn’t see all they wanted to without going up to the rat and smelling around him, till their mother gave a little “meaw” and drove them back. Then the house-kittens came too, and peeped around the corner.
“I’m glad he’s out of the way, even if I didn’t catch him myself,” said the house-cat.
The barn-cat was of too generous a disposition to boast of her victory. “It doesn’t make any difference who caught him, now that he is caught. What I want to see next is, these boards ripped up and the old fellow’s nest examined; for I am certain my collar and Posy’s necklace will be found there.”
“I wonder they don’t think of it,” said the house-cat; “but human beings are so stupid I declare I’ve no patience with them.”
“The cats mew just as if they were talking it over,” said Tom.
“I shouldn’t wonder if they were,” said Posy; “I wish we knew what they were saying.”
“I wish you did,” said the house-cat, “but that would be expecting too much of you.”
The sparrow, too, had heard the news, and perched on the window to get a look at the notorious Graywhisker who had caused so much mischief.
“I should have been in a pretty fix if that old fellow had come home and found me in his house that time,” he said to himself; “one thing is certain, I shouldn’t be sitting here now if he had. Hallo, my dear! you came to get a sight of the old villain, did you?” he said to the bright-eyed sparrow who lit beside him.