en to find that Polly
had brought no less than five small kittens in a basket.

Forthwith the Terror filled a saucer with milk and applied the lapping
test. Four of the kittens lapped the milk somewhat feebly, but they
lapped. The fifth would not lap. It only mewed. Therefore the Terror
took only four of the kittens, giving Polly a shilling for them. The
fifth he returned to her, bidding her bring it back when it could lap.

They took the four kittens down to the cats' home; and since they were
so small, they put them in one hutch for warmth, with a saucer of milk
to satisfy their hunger during the night.

"Now we've got these kittens, we needn't bother about getting cats,"
said the Terror as they returned to the house. "And I'm glad it is
kittens and not cats. Kittens eat less."

"Then you've had all the trouble of making that little door for
nothing," said Erebus.

"It's an emergency exit--like the theaters have--only it's an
entrance," said the Terror. "But thank goodness, we've begun at last;
now we can have salaries for 'overseering'."

During the course of the next week they added seven more small kittens
to their stock; and it seemed good to the Terror to inform Lady
Ryehampton that the home was already constructed and in process of
occupation. Accordingly Erebus wrote a letter, by no means devoid of
enthusiasm, informing her that it already held eleven inmates, "saved
from the awful death of drowning." Lady Ryehampton replied promptly in
a spirit of warm gratification that they had been so quick starting it.

But with eleven inmates in the home the Twins presently found
themselves grappling earnestly with the food problem and the
account-book.

The Terror was not unfitted for financial operations. Till they were
six years old the Twins had lived luxuriously at Dangerfield Hall, in
Monmouth, with toys beyond the dreams of Alnaschar. Then their father
had fallen into the hands of a firm of gambling stock-brokers, had
along with them lost nearly all his money, and presently died, leaving
Mrs. Dangerfield with a very small income indeed. All the while since
his death it had been a hard struggle to make both ends meet; and the
Twins had had many a lesson in learning to do without the desires of
their hearts.

But their desires were strong; the wits of the Terror were not weak;
and taking one month with another the Twins had as much pocket-money as
the bulk of the children of the well-to-do. B