They went into the barn, and hauled their parcels with a bit of string to the top of the hay mow. [Illustration] After that, there were no more rats for a long time at Tabitha Twitchit's. [Illustration] As for Farmer Potatoes, he has been driven nearly distracted. There are rats, and rats, and rats in his barn! They eat up the chicken food, and steal the oats and bran, and make holes in the meal bags. And they are all descended from Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Whiskers--children and grand-children and great great grand-children. There is no end to them! Moppet and Mittens have grown up into very good rat-catchers. They go out rat-catching in the village, and they find plenty of employment. They charge so much a dozen, and earn their living very comfortably. [Illustration] [Illustration] They hang up the rats' tails in a row on the barn door, to show how many they have caught--dozens and dozens of them. [Illustration] But Tom Kitten has always been afraid of a rat; he never durst face anything that is bigger than-- [Illustration] A Mouse.