They bicycled to Muttle Deeping. There the Terror poured valerian on
one of the rags and tied it to the bicycle of Erebus. Forthwith she
started to trail it to the cats' home. He rode on to Great Deeping and
trailed a rag from there through Little Deeping to the cats' home.
When he reached it he found Erebus' bicycle in its corner; and when,
after strengthening the trail through the little hanging door with a
rag freshly wetted with the drug, he returned to the house, he found
that she was already in bed again. He made haste back to bed himself.

It had been their intention to go down to the home before breakfast and
put the cats they had attracted to it into hutches. But they slept on
till breakfast was ready; and the fragrance of the coffee and bacon
lured them straight into the dining-room. After all, as Erebus told
the hesitating Terror, there was plenty of time to deal with the new
cats, for Aunt Amelia could not reach Little Deeping before eleven
o'clock. They could not escape from the home. The Twins therefore
devoted their most careful attention to their breakfast with their
minds quite at ease.

Then there came a ring at the front door; and still their minds were at
ease, for they took it that it was a note or a message from a neighbor.
Then Sarah threw open the dining-room door, said "Please, ma'am, it's
Lady Ryehampton"; and their Aunt Amelia stood, large, round and
formidable, on the threshold. Behind her stood Miss Hendersyde looking
very anxious.

There was a heavy frown on Lady Ryehampton's stern face; and when they
rose to welcome her, she greeted them with severe stiffness. To
Erebus, the instructor of parrots, she gave only one finger.

Then in deep portentous tones she said: "I came down to pay a surprise
visit to your cats' home. I always do. It's the only way I can make
sure that the poor dear things are receiving proper treatment." The
frown on her face grew rhadamanthine. "And last night I saw your Uncle
Maurice at the station--he did not see me--with cats, London cats, in
baskets. On the labels of two of the baskets I read the names of
well-known London cat-dealers. I do not support a cats' home at Little
Deeping for London cats bought at London dealers. Why have they been
brought here?"

Sir Maurice opened his mouth to explain; but the Terror was before him:

"It was Uncle Maurice's idea," he said. "He didn't think that there
ought only to be kittens in a cats' home. We