"Oh, you must ask us all," said Caroline, laughing; "when shall I come to write the invitations for you? To-morrow night?"
"Well, miss, if you think you could be happy in my room, we will say to-morrow night."
The invitations were duly sent out, Mrs. Trigg requesting the pleasure of their company on the next week; and each of the children received a separate note of invitation—and each, of course, had to reply, accepting the invitation, in the same manner. But on the very morning of the tea-party, when Caroline rose from her bed a little earlier than usual—as she had promised to help Mrs. Trigg to prepare for the great event—and when she had dressed and gone down to the housekeeper's room, what was her horror to see Tom, the tabby cat, on the top of the table, ready to spring upon the cage where the unfortunate bird was. She gave a terrible scream, which had the effect of scaring away the wicked cat; but the poor bird had evidently been so frightened at the glaring green eyes that tried to fascinate it and lure it to its ruin as a serpent does its prey, that it fell down to the bottom of its cage in a fit.
"Oh, my poor bird," cried Caroline; "it's dead. Oh, do come quick and help me."
Mrs. Trigg was not far distant, and hearing the cries of distress, hastened to her room, crying, "What's the matter, Miss Carry? Oh, have you hurt yourself?"
"No, no," said Caroline; "it's my bird. Tom has killed the poor thing. Oh, what am I to do?"
AFTER PREY.
The bird fluttered at this moment, and Mrs. Trigg took it out of the cage, and holding it before the fire, declared it was still alive, and might recover. Everything was done for it that could be thought of to restore the poor bird, but all to no effect, for during luncheon it died. Caroline was terribly grieved, and declared that the tea-party must be put off, for it was impossible she could join in any game after such a sad event. But then, when Mrs. Trigg mentioned that she had made a great many cakes, and that they would be quite spoiled even if allowed to stay till the next night, and also that she was going to be very busy preserving her fruit for the winter, Caroline thought she must try to go to the party. "I needn't play, you know, Mrs. Trigg," she had said. "I can just sit and look on; for, of course, the others didn't know what a dear good bird my starling was."
After tea, Caroline curled herself up into Mrs. Trigg's chair, and sat watching the others while they played. Pincher, Maud's dog, who had come with them, was very troublesome, and would hunt after the slipper as eagerly as the boys did, poking his nose into their faces, and sometimes even licking their ears with his tongue; and as they had their hands tucked under them, they could not stop him. Then, when Herbert flung the slipper over to the other side, and Harry made a grasp at it to get it out of sight before Charlie could get round, Pincher made a rush after it too, barking and yelping in his determination to catch this extraordinary rat or rabbit.