"Yes, mother let us look at them just once, and we each chose a kitten
for ourselves."

"Do you mean to say she is going to let you keep them all?" Alice
asked. "Mother never let us keep but two."

"We can keep them if you will let us have them," said Diana. "Of course
we know she is your cat, but mother thought maybe your mother wouldn't
want the bother of four kittens."

"You didn't ask her what color they are. Let me talk to her," said
Peggy, and she seized the receiver. "It is Peggy talking now. What color
are the kittens?"

"Tipsy is black with just a white tip to his tail, and Topsy is black
with a white vest and four white paws, and Lady Janet is silvery gray,
almost exactly like her mother, and Gretchen is gray and white with a
gray chin."

"And your mother doesn't mind the bother of four kittens?" said Peggy.

"Mother," she said, as Mrs. Owen came into the room, "Lady Jane has four
children, and Mrs. Carter is going to keep all of them if we'll let
her."

"We shall want one ourselves so as to keep her contented," said Alice.

"My dear little girl," said her mother, "it would be cruel to move Lady
Jane until the kittens are big enough to look out for themselves. I have
a few things to do besides taking care of her and her family. If the
Carters want her and she wants to stay, there is no use in fighting any
longer."

"But she is my darling cat," said Alice, with tears in her eyes. "How
would you feel, mother, if I decided I would rather live in my old house
with the Carters than with you. Would you let me stay?"

"Certainly not, because you are not capable of judging what is best for
yourself, and because I could not spare you, and neither would Mrs.
Carter want to bring up another child. But if you were my pussy-cat,
instead of my child, and you preferred to live with a little girl who
was sick half the time, and had so few pleasures, and if you had four
furry children, and the Carters wanted to keep them, I should be glad to
have everybody happy."

"All but me, mother," said Alice, "and Peggy--she will miss Lady Jane."

"I am sure they will let you have one of the kittens," said Mrs. Owen.
"In about two months you can have one of them."

"Not for two months?" said Peggy. "Oh, mother, think of a catless house
for two months. It will be so desolate."

"But you can go and choose your kitten in two weeks," said Mrs. Owen,
"and you can often go to see it."

It was a bright spring afternoon when