Lulu and the Hamster in the Night Read Free Page B

which seemed absolutely bulging with parcels, and said, “Weren’t they clever to find the right one!”
    â€œClever!” said Lulu. “Help me shoo them away! Look at poor Ratty!”
    Ratty was not happy. His eyes were bulging and his ears were flat. He trembled at the furry faces so close to his. His pink tail twitched in fear. Lulu picked up the whole cage and hugged it, while Mellie shooed the cats.
    The cats did not want to be shooed. They looped around Mellie’s legs and jumped among the jumble of things in the room and tried very hard to get back to their parcel.
    â€œWhat is the matter?” called Nan up the stairs.
    â€œNothing!” called Mellie as she scooped up a kitten. “Only the cats!” She grabbed the other.
    With a kitten under each arm, Mellie chased Marigold out of the room and pulled the door shut behind her. Lulu heard her panting. She heard the double thud of kittens jumping to the floor. She heard Nan ask, “Can I help?”
    â€œNo, no, no!” said Mellie. “You can’t! Because it’s a … a …”
    â€œSurprise?” suggested Nan. “Don’t tell me anymore! What’s Lulu doing?”
    â€œShe’s sorting it out,” said Mellie.
    Sorting out Ratty took a long time. A lot of patient talking. A great many comforting carrot slices. Ages before he would let Lulu pick him up and carry him around the room to show him that there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. And when Lulu finally left him and opened the door, there were all the cats on the little landing, waiting for the moment when they could rush back to their present.
    â€œNo, no, no!” Lulu told them, hurrying them down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Mellie and Nan were making lunch.
    â€œNow, Lulu,” said Nan, kindly not saying anything about how long she had been, “where shall we have lunch? Inside or outside?”
    â€œOutside, please,” said Lulu at once. “With the cats! Come on, cats!”
    Nan and Mellie laughed when Lulu said that, because the cats came at once. They followed after Lulu in a prowly golden parade. They followed her outside with the lunch things and in again to help carry drinks and up the tree to pick bananas and back to the kitchen for ice cream.
    They seemed to have decided not to let her out of their sight. The only place they wouldn’t follow her was into the paddling pool. They sat around the edge glaring, waiting till she came out.
    Sooner or later, thought the cats, Lulu would lead them back to their present.
    â€œThey are bewitched!” said Nan.
    â€œCan we take them with us?” asked Lulu.
    â€œWhat?” asked Nan, astonished. “Cats? To the fair? I don’t think so, Lulu!”
    â€œWhat will they do, then, while we are away?”
    â€œJust snooze, I suppose.”
    â€œInside?”
    â€œOh yes, don’t worry, they won’t be locked out!”
    â€œThey can’t open doors, can they, Nan?” asked Mellie.
    â€œThey don’t need to,” said Nan cheerfully. “They can walk through walls!”
    â€œNot really?” asked Mellie.
    â€œNo, of course not really!” said Nan, laughing. “Now, off you go and get ready if you want to go out today!”
    Lulu and Mellie went.
    The cats followed. Through the house. Up the stairs.
    â€œSorry, cats,” said Lulu as she closed the bedroom door on them.

    The cats were sorry too. Three sets of urgent paws began clawing at the door.
    â€œIt’s a scary sound,” said Lulu. “If you didn’t know what it was, wouldn’t it be awful?”
    â€œOr even if you thought you did,” said Mellie, “but were wrong! You might think, ‘Oh, I’ll just let Nan’s cats in,’ and open the door, and there would be a great big grizzly bear! Or a lion or a tiger or one of those T. rexes!”

    Mellie obviously liked the idea of such a frightening