“Do wind up, Serena,” I went on desperately, “everybody is sneering at you.”
She pulled her tail away from me, and went on with her lecture, but I noticed that she did wind it up in about five minutes. I think her mind misgave her after all.
As soon as she concluded, Blizzard got up and moved a vote of thanks. Then as no one responded, everybody being too sleepy or too cross, he cleared the stump at a bound, and running down among the cats, went from one to another, whispering something in their ears.
An extraordinary animation took possession of them. They sprang up, ran to Serena almost in a body, and began saying the most extravagant and flattering things to her.
She immediately began to swim in another sea of glory, and darted occasional furious glances at me, as if to say, “Why did you interrupt me? See how my effort was appreciated.”
That old scamp Blizzard! He had her completely under his influence. I was longing to get her to go home with me, but she would not do so. I knew it was of no use to ask her, so I waited. After the congratulations were over, the cats in a body began to leave the bog.
Blizzard, Rosy, Serena and Joker were at the head of the procession, and there was a great laughing and mewing going on.
“Let us follow,” I said to Slyboots. Aunt Tabby had left us, and with a curious shake of the head when I asked her what was going to happen, had run back to the house. She said she had had excitement enough for one evening.
“This is the beginning of the mole-hunt,” I whispered to Slyboots, and she nodded her head.