The cats mewed and mewed and mewed, and twisted their Persian forms in and out and unfolded their Persian tails, and the children and the Phoenix huddled together by the door. The Phoenix, Robert noticed suddenly, was trembling. "So many cats," it said, "and they might not know I was the Phoenix. These accidents happen so quickly. It quite unmans me." This was a danger of which the children had not thought. "Creep in," cried Robert, opening his jacket. And the Phoenix crept in--only just in time, for green eyes had glared, pink noses had sniffed, white whiskers had twitched, and as Robert buttoned his coat he disappeared to the waist in a wave of eager grey Persian fur. And on the instant the good carpet slapped itself down on the floor. And it was covered with rats--three hundred and ninety-eight of them, I believe--two for each cat. "How horrible!" cried Anthea. "Oh, take them away!" "Take yourself away," said the Phoenix, "and me." "I wish we'd never had a carpet," said Anthea, in tears. They hustled and crowded out of the door, and shut it and locked it. Cyril, with great presence of mind, lit a candle and turned off the gas at the main. "The rats'll have a better chance in the dark," he said. The mewing had ceased. Everyone listened in breathless silence. We all know that cats eat rats--it is one of the first things we read in our nice little reading books; but all those cats eating all those rats--it wouldn't bear thinking of. [Illustration: "HE DISAPPEARED TO THE WAIST IN A WAVE OF EAGER GREY PERSIAN FUR."] Suddenly Robert sniffed, in the silence of the dark kitchen where the only candle was burning all on one side, because of the draught. "What a funny scent!" he said. And as he spoke a lantern flashed its light through the window of the kitchen, a face peered in, and a voice said:-- "What's all this row about? You let me in." It was the voice of the police! Robert tip-toed to the window and spoke through the pane that was a little cracked. "What do you mean?" he said. "There's no row. You listen; everything's as quiet as quiet." And indeed it was. The strange sweet scent grew stronger, and the Phoenix put out its beak. The policeman hesitated. "They're _musk_ rats," said the Phoenix. "I suppose some cats eat them--but never Persian ones. What a mistake for a well-informed carpet to make! Oh, what a night we're having!" "Do go away," said Robert, nervously, to the policeman. "We're just going to bed--that's our bedroom candle--there isn't any row. Everything's as quiet as a mouse." A wild chorus of mews drowned his words, and with the mews were mingled the shrieks of the musk rats. What had happened? Had the cats tasted them before deciding that they disliked the flavour? "I'm a-comin' in," said the policeman. "You've got a cat shut up there." "A cat!" said Cyril. "Oh, my only aunt! _A_ cat!" "Come in, then," said Robert. "It's your own look-out. I advise you not. Wait a shake, and I'll undo the side door."