he day the Terror applied his indisputable
constructive genius to the creation of cat-hutches. That evening
Erebus wrote his warm letter of thanks to Lady Ryehampton.

The next morning, with a womanly disregard of obligation, Erebus
proposed that they should forthwith mount their bicycles and sally
forth on a splendid foray. The Terror would not hear of it.

"No," he said firmly. "We're going to get the cats' home finished
before we use those bicycles at all. Then nobody can complain."

He lost no time setting to work on it, and worked till it was time to
go down to the vicarage for his morning's lessons with the vicar. He
set to work again as soon as he returned; he worked all the afternoon;
and he saw to it that Erebus worked, too.

In the middle of the afternoon Wiggins came. He had spent a fruitless
hour lying in wait on the common to scalp the Twins as they sallied
forth into the world, and then had come to see what had kept them
within their borders. He was deeply impressed by the sight of the
bicycles, but not greatly surprised: his estimation of the powers of
his friends was too high for any of their exploits to surprise him
greatly. But he was somewhat aggrieved that they should have obtained
their bicycles before he had obtained his. None the less he helped
them construct the cats' home with enthusiasm.

For three strenuous days they persisted in their untiring effort. So
much sustained carpentering was hard on their hands; many small pieces
were chipped out of them. But their spirits never flagged; and by
sunset on the third day they had constructed accommodation for thirty
cats. It may be that the wooden bars of the hutches were not all of
the same breadth, but at any rate they were all of the same thickness:
and it would be a slim cat, indeed, that would squirm through them.

At sunset on the third day the exultant trio gazed round the
transformed cow-house with shining triumphant eyes; then Erebus said
firmly: "What we want now is cats."

CHAPTER IV

AND THE VISIT OF INSPECTION

Cats did not immediately flow in, though the Twins, riding round the
countryside on their bicycles, spread the information that they were
willing to afford a home to such of those necessary animals as their
owners no longer needed. They had, indeed, one offer of a cat
suffering from the mange; but the Terror rejected it, saying coldly to
its owner that theirs was a home, not a hospital.

The impatient