Once upon a time, a cat called Mrs Tabitha Twitchit lived in an old house with her three kittens, Moppet, Mittens and Tom.
The kittens were always getting up to mischief. 鈥業nto the cupboard with the lot of you,鈥 said Tabitha one day. 鈥業 want some peace and quiet while I鈥檓 baking!鈥
She caught Moppet and Mittens鈥ut Tom was no-where to be found. The house was full of mysterious passages, with strange noises coming from behind the walls, and even things disappearing at night鈥om could be anywhere!
There was a knock at the door. 鈥楥ome in Cousin Ribby,鈥 said Tabitha. 鈥業鈥檝e lost Tom - and I鈥檓 very afraid the rats have got him!鈥
鈥業鈥檓 not scared of rats,鈥 replied Ribby - 鈥業鈥檒l help you find him.鈥
The two cats searched high and low - they poked under beds and rummaged in cupboards and even went up to the attic. They couldn鈥檛 find Tom, but they did hear some rather strange noises.
鈥楻ats! The house is infested with them!鈥 cried Tabitha tearfully.
鈥榃hat鈥檚 that strange, roly-poly noise?鈥 asked Ribby. It was all a bit of a mystery鈥
When they got back to the kitchen Ribby found that Moppet had escaped from the cupboard and was hiding in the flour barrel. 鈥業 saw a huge rat,鈥 she squeaked with fear, 鈥榓nd she stole some dough!鈥
Then, in the dairy, they found Mittens, hiding in an empty jar. 鈥楢 huge rat was in here too,鈥 he squeaked 鈥榓nd he stole some butter and the rolling pin.鈥
鈥楢 rolling pin?鈥 said Ribby. 鈥楧idn鈥檛 we hear a roly-poly noise? I think it was coming from under the attic floor鈥︹
The two cats rushed back to the attic.
鈥楾here it is again! We must send for the carpenter so he can saw through the floorboards and we can take a look,鈥 said Ribby.
Meanwhile all this time, Tom Kitten had been hiding from his mother, up the chimney. It was very sooty and Tom felt like a little chimney sweep as he scrambled up and up in the darkness.
Suddenly his paw felt a hole in the wall, with some old, rather nasty smelling bones in it. He squeezed through into a dark, narrow passage, and crawled along鈥ntil, all of a sudden, he toppled head over heels down a hole鈥nd landed in a heap in a secret room with lots of cobwebs. Two enormous rats were staring at him!
It was Samuel Whiskers and his wife, Anna Maria. They pounced on Tom and quickly rolled him up with string.
鈥楢 nice kitten dumpling pudding for my dinner,鈥 said Samuel Whiskers licking his lips. 鈥業鈥檒l need dough, butter and a rolling pin,鈥 said Anna Maria.
Samuel Whiskers headed to the dairy for the butter and rolling pin while Anna Maria went to the kitchen to steal some dough. Neither of them realised that Moppet and Mittens had spotted them.
While they were gone Tom wriggled and tried to call for help, but his mouth was full of soot and cobwebs and he felt very tired.
When the rats returned, they set to work turning Tom into a dumpling pudding. First they smeared him with butter鈥hen they rolled him into the dough.
鈥楢ll those stringy knots don鈥檛 look very appetising鈥, complained Samuel Whiskers.
鈥極h never mind,鈥 replied Anna Maria. 鈥楢nd keep still, kitty!鈥 she hissed as Tom squeaked and wriggled.
鈥楲ook, his tail鈥檚 sticking out. You didn鈥檛 fetch enough dough鈥, moaned Samuel. 鈥業 don鈥檛 think it will be a very tasty pudding - he smells too sooty!鈥
鈥楽hush! What鈥檚 that noise?鈥 asked Anna Maria.
鈥楽omeone or something has discovered us!鈥 replied Samuel Whiskers. 鈥業 fear we must leave our pudding behind - though I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to eat the string in any case. I think it鈥檚 time to move home. We鈥檒l go to Farmer Potatoes鈥 barn,鈥 he continued.
By the time the carpenter got the floorboards up, there was nothing underneath except the rolling pin and Tom Kitten in a very dirty dumpling. Tabitha and Ribby peeled it off him, then they gave Tom a nice hot bath to wash him clean.
There were no more rats for a long time at Tabitha Twitchit鈥檚 house after that - though the same could not be said for the house of poor Farmer Potatoes. But no matter, for Moppet and Mittens became very good at catching rats when they got bigger.
As for Tom Kitten, he has never dared to face anything bigger than鈥 tiny mouse!