“Miaou, miaou, miaou,” was heard in the distance.
“What an ugly, hoarse voice!” remarked Minette.
“Just like a croak,” said Tompkins. “I wonder who it can be.”
But the little kitchen kittens didn’t wonder, they knew it was their old mother, Tibby, who had missed her babies and was calling for them. They liked her ugly voice and they answered with little mews, and one by one they scuttled out of the room. Ugly was the last to go and he just lapped up a drop of milk on his way, for he never neglected an opportunity.
A few minutes after, the cook came in to find Mary’s mother, and of course, caught sight at once of the disgraceful looking tray. She was shocked to see it in such a state, with the sugar scattered about and a nasty sticky mess where the milk had been lapped up.
“Oh dear! Oh dear!” she cried, trying to tidy up, “whoever has done this?”
“Miaou, miaou,” said Tompkins, which meant “not us.”
Cook turned round and saw the kittens. “Well, of all the impudent little thieves!” she cried, “so you must go and steal the milk, must you? You little good-for-nothings!”
“No, really it wasn’t us,” mewed Minette.
But, of course, cook couldn’t understand cat language and she went on scolding. “You deserve a good whipping, that you do, and I’ve a great mind to give it you, greedy little things, when you get as much to eat as ever you can swallow.”
Pussy pretended to be her daughter.
“You may look like little angels, but you are nothing but little imps of mischief.”
Both kittens looked up at her with their sweetest expressions, trying to convince her how innocent they were.
“Oh, I know all about that,” cook went on, but already her scolding was getting more into a smiling one, “you may look little angels but you’re nothing but little imps of mischief.”
“Miaou, miaou,” said Minette in her sweetest voice, and Tompkins gave a plaintive little purr, for they were getting very sleepy after their exciting adventure. This was too much for cook; they both looked such darlings that before they could drop off to sleep she was down on her knees petting them and calling them her “saucy little poppets.”