And when the supper was at length
over, Mrs. Van Brunt declared a little colour had come back to
the pale cheeks. The colour came back in good earnest a few
minutes after, when a great tortoise-shell cat walked into the
room. Ellen jumped down from her chair, and presently was
bestowing the tenderest caresses upon pussy, who stretched out
her head and purred as if she liked them very well.
"What a nice cat!" said Ellen.
"She has five kittens," said Mrs. Van Brunt.
"Five kittens!" said Ellen. "Oh, may I come some time and see
them?"
"You shall see 'em right away, dear, and come as often as you
like, too. Sally, just take a basket, and go fetch them
kittens here."
Upon this, Mr. Van Brunt began to talk about its being time to
go, if they were going. But his mother insisted that Ellen
should stay where she was; she said she was not fit to go home
that night, that she oughtn't to walk a step, and that "
'Brahm" should go and tell Miss Fortune the child was safe and
well, and would be with her early in the morning. Mr. Van
Brunt shook his head two or three times, but finally agreed,
to Ellen's great joy. When he came back, she was sitting on
the floor before the fire, with all the five kittens in her
lap, and the old mother cat walking around and over her and
them. But she looked up with a happier face then he had ever
seen her wear, and told him she was "_so_ much obliged to him
for taking such a long walk for her;" and Mr.
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