r she was tired and anxious, 'who
told you "milk" wasn't Persian for milk. Lots of English words are
just the same in French--at least I know "miaw" is, and "croquet", and
"fiance". Oh, pussies, do be quiet! Let's stroke them as hard as we can
with both hands, and perhaps they'll stop.'

So every one stroked grey fur till their hands were tired, and as soon
as a cat had been stroked enough to make it stop mewing it was pushed
gently away, and another mewing mouser was approached by the hands of
the strokers. And the noise was really more than half purr when the
carpet suddenly appeared in its proper place, and on it, instead of rows
of milk-cans, or even of milk-jugs, there was a COW. Not a Persian cow,
either, nor, most fortunately, a musk-cow, if there is such a thing, but
a smooth, sleek, dun-coloured Jersey cow, who blinked large soft eyes at
the gas-light and mooed in an amiable if rather inquiring manner.

Anthea had always been afraid of cows; but now she tried to be brave.

'Anyway, it can't run after me,' she said to herself 'There isn't room
for it even to begin to run.'

The cow was perfectly placid. She behaved like a strayed duchess till
some one brought a saucer for the milk, and some one else tried to milk
the cow into it. Milking is very difficult. You may think it is easy,
but it is not. All the children were by this time strung up to a pitch
of heroism that would have been impossible to them in their ordinary
condition. Robert and Cyril held the cow by the horns; and Jane, when
she was quite sure that their end of the cow was quite secure, consented
to stand by, ready to hold the cow by the tail should occasion arise.
Anthea, holding the saucer, now advanced towards the cow. She remembered
to have heard that cows, when milked by strangers, are susceptible to
the soothing influence of the human voice. So, clutching her saucer very
tight, she sought for words to whose soothing influence the cow might be
susceptible. And her memory, troubled by the events of the night, which
seemed to go on and on for ever and ever, refused to help her with any
form of words suitable to address a Jersey cow in.

'Poor pussy, then. Lie down, then, good dog, lie down!' was all that she
could think of to say, and she said it.

And nobody laughed. The situation, full of grey mewing cats, was too
serious for that. Then Anthea, with a beating heart, tried to milk the
cow. Next moment the cow had knocked the saucer out of h