y babies don't wear
shoes with nails in them, and don't run about and climb on kitchen
tables after all the family have gone to bed.

Cook was a little frightened; but her fright changed to anger when she
saw the large black cat stretched comfortably on the hearth. Poor Muff
had crept there for a little snooze after Brownie went away.

"You nasty cat! I see it all now; it's you that have eaten up all the
supper; it's you that have been on my clean table-cloth with your dirty
paws."

[Illustration: Cook beat poor Pussy till the creature ran mewing away]

They were white paws, and as clean as possible; but the Cook never
thought of that, any more than she did of the fact that cats don't
usually drink cider or eat apple-pudding.

"I'll teach you to come stealing food in this way; take that--and
that--and that!"

Cook got hold of a broom and beat poor Pussy till the creature ran
mewing away. She couldn't speak, you know--unfortunate cat! and tell
people that it was Brownie who had done it all.

Next night Cook thought she would make all safe and sure; so, instead of
letting the cat sleep by the fire, she shut her up in the chilly
coal-cellar, locked the door, put the key in her pocket, and went off to
bed--leaving the supper as before.

When Brownie woke up and looked out of his hole, there was, as usual, no
supper for him, and the cellar was close shut. He peered about, to try
and find some cranny under the door to creep out at, but there was none.
And he felt so hungry that he could almost have eaten the cat, who kept
walking to and fro in a melancholy manner--only she was alive, and he
couldn't well eat her alive: besides, he knew she was old, and had an
idea she might be tough; so he merely said, politely, "How do you do,
Mrs. Pussy?" to which she answered nothing--of course.

Something must be done, and luckily Brownies can do things which nobody
else can do. So he thought he would change himself into a mouse, and
gnaw a hole through the door. But then he suddenly remembered the cat,
who, though he had decided not to eat her, might take this opportunity
of eating him. So he thought it advisable to wait till she was fast
asleep, which did not happen for a good while. At length, quite tired
with walking about, Pussy turned round on her tail six times, curled
down in a corner, and fell fast asleep.

Immediately Brownie changed himself into the smallest mouse possible;
and, taking care not to make the least noi