ain you don't. You're not meant to shove your oar into
people's private cat-keepings. You're only supposed to interfere when
people shout "murder" and "stop thief" in the street. So there!'

The policeman assured them that he should see about that; and at this
point the Phoenix, who had been making itself small on the pot-shelf
under the dresser, among the saucepan lids and the fish-kettle, walked
on tip-toed claws in a noiseless and modest manner, and left the room
unnoticed by any one.

'Oh, don't be so horrid,' Anthea was saying, gently and earnestly. 'We
LOVE cats--dear pussy-soft things. We wouldn't hurt them for worlds.
Would we, Pussy?'

And Jane answered that of course they wouldn't. And still the policeman
seemed unmoved by their eloquence.

'Now, look here,' he said, 'I'm a-going to see what's in that room
beyond there, and--'

His voice was drowned in a wild burst of mewing and squeaking. And as
soon as it died down all four children began to explain at once; and
though the squeaking and mewing were not at their very loudest, yet
there was quite enough of both to make it very hard for the policeman
to understand a single word of any of the four wholly different
explanations now poured out to him.

'Stow it,' he said at last. 'I'm a-goin' into the next room in the
execution of my duty. I'm a-goin' to use my eyes--my ears have gone off
their chumps, what with you and them cats.'

And he pushed Robert aside, and strode through the door.

'Don't say I didn't warn you,' said Robert.

'It's tigers REALLY,' said Jane. 'Father said so. I wouldn't go in, if I
were you.'

But the policeman was quite stony; nothing any one said seemed to make
any difference to him. Some policemen are like this, I believe. He
strode down the passage, and in another moment he would have been in the
room with all the cats and all the rats (musk), but at that very instant
a thin, sharp voice screamed from the street outside--

'Murder--murder! Stop thief!'

The policeman stopped, with one regulation boot heavily poised in the
air.

'Eh?' he said.

And again the shrieks sounded shrilly and piercingly from the dark
street outside.

'Come on,' said Robert. 'Come and look after cats while somebody's being
killed outside.' For Robert had an inside feeling that told him quite
plainly WHO it was that was screaming.

'You young rip,' said the policeman, 'I'll settle up with you bimeby.'

And he rushed out, and the children he