y in the cab; and when he
saw it turn the corner, he felt more lonely than he had ever felt
before.

'Well, this is a nice kettle of fish,' said the butler.

'Is it?' asked Jimmy, not understanding in the least what he meant.

'I wonder what Miss Morton will say about it?' cried Jones.

'What do you think she'll say?' asked Jimmy, staring up at the butler's
face.

'Well,' was the answer, 'you had better come indoors, anyhow,' and Jimmy
entered the house and stood leaning against his clothes-box, whilst
Jones shut the street door.

'Step this way, sir,' said Jones; but although he took Jimmy to the
dining-room, unfortunately there was no sign of dinner.

He saw the black cat still sitting on a chair watching the
tortoise-shell cat outside the window, and on the hearth-rug lay a tabby
one, with its head on the fender, fast asleep.

'You had better sit here until Miss Morton comes home,' said the butler.

'Do you think she'll be very long?' asked Jimmy.

'About half-past three,' was the answer, and Jones opened the coal-box
to put some more coal on the fire as he spoke.

'Because I haven't had any dinner at all,' said Jimmy.

'Oh, you haven't, haven't you?' cried Jones, as he stood holding the
coal shovel.

'No,' said Jimmy, 'and I'm rather hungry.'

'Well, I don't know what Miss Morton'll say about you,' was the answer.
'So,' he added, as he put away the shovel, 'you think you'd like
something to eat?'

'I'm sure I should--very much,' cried Jimmy.

The butler went away, but he soon came back with a folded white cloth in
his hands. Whilst Jimmy kneeled down on the hearth-rug rubbing the head
of the tabby cat, Jones laid the cloth, and then he went away again and
returned with a plate of hot roast-beef and Yorkshire pudding and
potatoes and cauliflower.

He placed a chair with its back to the fire, and told Jimmy to ring when
he was ready for some apple-tart.

When Jimmy was alone eating his dinner and enjoying it very much, he
began to think it might not be so bad to stay at Aunt Selina's after
all. The black cat came from the chair by the window and meowed on one
side of him, and the tabby cat meowed on the other, and Jimmy fed them
both whilst he fed himself. When his plate was quite empty, he rang the
bell and Jones brought him a large piece of apple-tart, with a brown jug
of cream. Then presently the butler took away the things, and Jimmy sat
down in an arm-chair by the fire with one of the cats