Like a flash, Slyboots put up her paw and scratched her right down the nose.
“You rude thing!” gasped Serena, and she fell back.
“Come in here,” I said, and rushed into Mary's bedroom. Of course, as Serena was my sister, I had to let her get up on my bed, and for an hour she made me sit and lick her nose. It was quite sore, but my licking kept it from swelling, and making her look ugly.
After a long time I heard the carriage stop before the house, then little Mary ran up-stairs. She caught me in her arms, and hugged me. “You darling thing, I was afraid you were lost. Why did you not wait for me?” Then her eye fell on Serena. “Why, pussy dear,” she said, “how did you get here?—Mamma, Mamma,” and she ran in the hall, and met Mrs. Denville who was just coming up-stairs. “Here is one of Mrs. Darley's pussies. We must send her right back.”
Mrs. Denville looked puzzled. However, she rang the bell in Mary's room, and sent for Anthony. Serena did not resist. She knew that this would probably happen. She fawned on Mrs. Denville and Mary, and purred round them, but they did not understand her.
Anthony took her home, and in an hour she was back again.
Mrs. Denville returned her once more, and this time, Serena got back before Anthony did. Then Mrs. Denville began to comprehend the affair, and, smiling peculiarly, she called Serena, and went into her own room.
“Harold,” she said, “are you here?”
Mr. Denville came out of his dressing-room in his shirt sleeves, and stopped rubbing his face with a towel to look at us as we stood there, his wife, Serena and I.
“Well!” he said expectantly, “do I see double, or have you another Black-Face there?”