When Tompkins got back, however, Salome was looking anything but beautiful. In fact she was looking as ugly and disagreeable a cat as you can imagine. You see, she wanted brushing very badly and she simply hated it. As soon as she saw her own special brush and comb being brought out, she would hump herself up with her ears back, and look a perfect bunch of bad temper. This time she was worse than usual, for her long fur had got tangled, and as the comb pulled, she turned round and spat at it.
Tompkins and Minette looked on tremblingly; they had never seen their mother in such a rage. Tompkins was glad the kitchen kittens couldn’t see the mother he had boasted about; how they would have jeered.
When all was over, Salome flounced back into the basket and curled herself up to forget her annoyances in sleep, and her children took care not to disturb her. They whispered together and Tompkins told Minette all about the kitchen kittens. Minette was so excited she forgot to be jealous and kept interrupting with: “Oh, can’t I see them too?” and “What fun we might all have together! Couldn’t we ask them to come here?”
“Wait till we are quite alone,” whispered Tompkins, “and then we will invite them properly to tea.”
“How lovely!” said Minette, but she couldn’t help wondering where the tea was to come from.
The very next day the chance came, for the door was left open, no one was about, and actually there was a tea tray on the table.
“Hunt the Thimble.”
Tompkins went to the door and mewed; at least you would have thought he was only mewing but really he was calling, “Come, come, come,” and the little kitchen kittens, right the other end of the passage, heard him. They mewed back, telling him they wanted to come badly but their door was shut and they couldn’t get out. “Well, come as soon as you can,” he called back.
They didn’t have to wait long, for very soon the cook came in and out again in such a hurry that she forgot to shut the door. You may guess the kittens didn’t wait long, and they were out like lightning and racing down the passage. You would have laughed to see them come tumbling into the room where the Persians lived, a perfect bundle of mischief.
They weren’t a bit shy and Minette loved them; she thought they were such fun and so clever and bright. Ugly and Pussy soon started a game of “Hunt the Thimble,” and Minette thoroughly enjoyed it. First of all they found a work-basket, then they knocked it on the floor and made hay of its contents till they found that little shiny silver thing that is so good at rolling. They chased the thimble all over the room till it disappeared behind a solid bookcase, and I shouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t there still.
Minette had never had quite such an exciting time, and she wondered why Tompkins wasn’t enjoying it too. She looked round for him, but he seemed to have disappeared. At last she heard a little “miaou,” and there he was right up one of the curtains. Pet was up the other curtain and they kept calling to each other, “Look at me! I’m highest!” There was no doubt that Pet was beating him, for she was near the ceiling, but they were both digging in their little claws and pulling themselves up. After watching such daring sport as this, “Hunt the Thimble” seemed very tame, so the other three joined the mountaineers, and soon there were five kittens tearing and scratching at the curtains trying to climb.