The next day I took a walk, unknown to the household. My collar gave me
prestige and no one dared molest me. I made my way to the old provision
store and found mother, who was getting quite stout, dozing in the garden.

She was pleased to hear of my prosperity and thought I looked extremely
well. I told her about the chance for another cat at our house, and
suggested Tom, whom I knew she had labored to bring up to be a credit to
us all. I explained to her how I had the run of the library and could
direct his education; this made her see what a great advantage it would be
to him. She said that my brother Teddy had grown fat and lazy and was not
very valuable to her, thus making it harder to spare Tom, but that she
would not stand in his way. So Tom went in and spruced up a bit and I took
him home with me. The cook took a liking to him at once, and that meant a
good deal for his future welfare. The master and mistress liked his looks
and were satisfied with my choice, and the cook allowed me to take him
upstairs, whenever our people were out. Thus I taught him many things, so
that when I passed away he could take my place in the household.

I began to settle down into a calm middle age, happy and contented; my
working days were over and I felt that I had earned a rest.

Lord Roberts' people went to the same seashore resort that ours did and,
to my delight, I was to go also, leaving Tom with the caretaker to protect
the house from rats and mice in our absence. I enjoyed myself every summer
by going down to the beach and watching the children in bathing and then
sunning myself on the piazza. I did not have much to do, but an occasional
mouse would find to his sorrow that I slept with one eye open. We did not
remain very late in the fall, but one summer, as Lord Roberts' family
wished to make a longer season, we stayed also. I had noticed that after