"I _knew_ they would over-eat themselves!" said Cousin Tabitha
Twitchit.

[Illustration]

But while Ribby had been hunting for the doctor--a curious thing had
happened to Duchess, who had been left by herself, sitting before the
fire, sighing and groaning and feeling very unhappy.

"How _could_ I have swallowed it! such a large thing as a patty-pan!"

She got up and went to the table, and felt inside the pie-dish again
with a spoon.

"No; there is no patty-pan, and I put one in; and nobody has eaten pie
except me, so I must have swallowed it!"

[Illustration]

She sat down again, and stared mournfully at the grate. The fire
crackled and danced, and something sizz-z-zled!

Duchess started! She opened the door of the _top_ oven; out came a
rich steamy flavour of veal and ham, and there stood a fine brown
pie,--and through a hole in the top of the pie-crust there was a
glimpse of a little tin patty-pan!

Duchess drew a long breath--

"Then I must have been eating MOUSE!... No wonder I feel ill.... But