Part 6 (2/2)

Erebus stopped short. ”What are you going to do with that kitten, Billy Beck?” she said.

”We be goin' to drown 'im in the pond,” said Billy Beck in the important tones of an executioner.

Erebus sprang; and the kitten was in her hands. ”You're not going to do anything of the sort, you little beast!” she said.

The round red face of Billy Beck flushed redder with rage and disappointment, and he howled:

”Gimme my kitty! Mother says she won't 'ave 'im about the 'ouse, an' I could drown 'im.”

”You won't have him,” said Erebus.

Billy Beck and his little brothers, robbed of their simple joy, burst into blubbering roar of ”It's ourn! It ain't yourn! It's ourn!”

”It isn't! A kitten isn't any one's to drown!” cried Erebus.

The Terror gazed at Erebus and Billy Beck with judicial eyes, the cold personification of human justice. Erebus edged away from him ready to fly, should human justice intervene actively. The Terror put his hand in his pocket and fumbled. He drew out a penny, and looked at it earnestly. He was weighing the respective merits of justice and bull's-eyes.

”Here's a penny for your kitten. You can buy bull's-eyes with it,” he said with a sigh, and held out the coin.

A sudden greed sparkled in Billy Beck's tearful eyes. ”'E's worth more'n a penny--a kitty like 'im!” he blubbered.

”Not to drown. It's all you'll get,” said the Terror curtly. He tossed the penny to Billy's feet, turned on his heel and went back across the common away from the village. Some of the brightness faded out of the faces of Erebus and Wiggins.

”I wouldn't have given him a penny. He was only going to drown the kitten,” said Erebus in a grudging tone.

”It was his kitten. We couldn't take it without paying for it,” said the Terror coldly.

Erebus followed him, cuddling the kitten and talking to it as she went.

Presently Wiggins spurned the earth and said, ”There ought to be a home for kittens n.o.body wants--and puppies.”

The Terror stopped short, and said: ”By Jove! There's Aunt Amelia!”

Erebus burst into a bitter complaint of the stinginess of Aunt Amelia, who had more money than all the rest of the family put together, and yet never rained postal orders on deserving nieces and nephews, but spent it all on horrid cats' homes.

”That's just it,” said the Terror in a tone of considerable animation.

”Come along; I want you to write a letter.”

”I'm not going to write any disgusting letter!” cried Erebus hotly.

”Then you're not going to get any bicycle. Come on. I'll look out the words in the dictionary, and Wiggins can help because, seeing so much of his father, he's got into the way of using grammar. It'll be useful. Come on!”

They came on, Wiggins, as always, deeply impressed by the importance of being a helper of the Twins, for they were in their fourteenth year, and only ten brief wet summers had pa.s.sed over his own tousled head, Erebus clamoring to have her suddenly aroused curiosity gratified.

Practise had made the Terror's ears impervious at will to his sister's questions, which were frequent and innumerable. Without a word of explanation he led the way home; without a word he set her down at the dining-room table with paper and ink before her, and sat down himself on the opposite side of it, a dictionary in his hand and Wiggins by his side.

Then he said coldly: ”Now don't make any blots, or you'll have to do it all over again.”

<script>