THE RETURN VISIT
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.
[Illustration: “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.