and,
when I tell you that cats are very fond of fish, you can guess what is
going to happen.

With a quick, silent spring, making no noise on his soft, padded paws,
the cat first jumped into the chair beside the Sawdust Doll.

"Oh, dear me, he certainly is going to carry me off!" thought the Doll.
"I wish I dared scream!"

But the cat was not after the Doll. With another jump Tom landed on the
table beside the bowl of goldfish.

"Goodness sakes alive! my time has come," thought the poor frightened
Candy Rabbit. "The cat is going to eat me!"

But Tom was not after a Candy Rabbit. His greedy eyes were on the
swimming goldfish in the open glass bowl. Dorothy and Madeline sat with
their backs to the little table on which stood the bowl of fish and the
Candy Rabbit. The little girls were busy talking.

All of a sudden Tom stood up on his hind legs and put his forepaws on
the edge of the bowl. As he did this the fish began swimming around
swiftly, very much frightened, indeed, just as you may have seen a
canary bird flutter in a cage when some cat came too close.

"Oh, he isn't after me--he's after the fish!" thought the Candy Rabbit.
"Oh, the poor fish! I wish I could save them!"

Tom was switching his tail to and fro, as cats always do when they are
about to catch a bird, a fish or anything alive. The fish were swimming
about faster and faster inside their bowl of water. They could make no
noise. Some fish, such as catfish, can make a little sound out of
water, and so can the fish called grunters, but I never heard of any
other fish making any noise. Though of course they may be able to talk
among themselves, for all I know.

Standing with his forepaws on the edge of the glass bowl, Tom dipped one
paw down toward the water to get a fish. His tail kept on switching to
and fro, and, all at once, it switched against the Candy Rabbit and
tilted the Bunny over toward the glass bowl.

"Tinkle-tinkle! Tink!" went the hard ears of the Candy Rabbit against
the glass, making a noise like the ringing of a little bell.

"What's that?" suddenly cried Madeline, turning from the table where she
sat with Dorothy eating cookies.

Dorothy also turned and looked. The two little girls saw Tom up on the
goldfish table.

"Oh, you bad cat, get down from there!" cried Madeline, and she looked
for something to throw at Tom. "Get away from our fish!" she cried.

The cat paused a moment, and then, seeing he would be caught if he trie