was market-day, and
they had to get the kittens ready for Ellen to sell. At Rowington the
Terror bought copper wire at an ironmonger's; and he was very careful
to buy it of a certain thickness.

They rode home swiftly, and at once selected six kittens for the
experiment. Much to the surprise and disgust of those kittens, they
washed them thoroughly in the kitchen. They dried them, and decided to
keep them in its warmth till the next morning.

After the washing of the kittens, they betook themselves to the making
of snares. Erebus, ever sanguine, supposed that they would make snares
at once. The Terror had no such expectation; and it was a long while
before he got one at all to his liking.

Remembering Tom Cobb's instructions, he washed it, and then put on
gloves before setting it in the hole in the hedge through which the
rabbits from the common were wont to enter their garden to eat the
cabbages. He was up betimes next morning, found a rabbit in the snare,
and thrilled with joy. The fur stole had come within the range of
possibility.

Before breakfast they made the toilet of the six chosen kittens,
brushing them with the Terror's hair-brush till their fur was of a
sleekness it had never known before. Then Erebus adorned the neck of
each with a bow of blue ribbon. Knowing the ways of kittens, she sewed
on the bows, and sewed them on firmly. It could not be doubted that
they looked much finer than ordinary unwashed kittens. Directly after
breakfast, the Twins put three in the basket of either of their
bicycles, rode over to Rowington and handed them over to Ellen.

They would have liked to stay to see what luck she had with them but
they had to return to their lessons. After lunch they made three more
snares; and the Terror found that the fingers of Erebus were, if
anything, more deft at snare-making than his own.

It was late in the afternoon when they reached Rowington again; and
when they came to Ellen's stall, they found to their joy that the
basket which had held the six kittens was empty.

Ellen greeted them with a smile of the liveliest satisfaction, and
said: "Well, Master Terror, you were right, and I was wrong. I've sold
them kitties--every one--and I've had two more ordered. It was when
the ladies from the Hill came marketing that they went."

She opened her purse, took out six shillings, and held them out to the
Terror.

"Five," said the Terror. "I must pay you a shilling for sellin