The Kingdom of Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh Page A

animals. Then three of them scrambled out and, even faster than they had come, dashed away in the direction of the road, leaving a trail of wet grass behind. The fourth cat stood shivering on the bank. John and Rosemary ran toward him.
    â€˜You poor thing!’ said Rosemary.
    â€˜Let’s rub him with my blazer,’ said John. ‘It’s so wet already that more water won’t hurt! Keep still old chap!’
    â€˜Thank you kindly,’ said the cat, through the folds of John’s blazer. ‘If there’s one thing I can’t abide, it’s water.’ An untidy head emerged fromthe navy-blue flannel. ‘Me that was ship’s cat for two years on the
Mary Jane
. Trawling, she was.’
    John interrupted. ‘Rosie! A walleye and a torn ear!’ He stood up with the coat in his hands. ‘And not one colour, but a bit of most! You must be Tudge!’
    The strange cat shook his wet paws in turn. ‘What if I be? Personal remarks is rude!’
    â€˜I’m sorry!’ said John. ‘But Woppit told us about you.’
    â€˜Her,’ said Tudge with great scorn. ‘So high and mighty since she took up with royalty, she is, I wonder she still remembers me.’
    â€˜Oh, but she does!’ said Rosemary. ‘She asked us to give you a message if we met you. She said you could come and see her if you liked, and we should love you to. You see, she is helping us look after the two royal kittens. Why, what’s the matter?’
    The cat looked furtively around and beckoned them down to the water’s edge.
    â€˜It do be safer to talk here, though damp to the paws. The water makes such a swirligiggle we aren’t like to be overheard by them as means them precious kitlings no good. Listen here. For why do you think I were being chased, like as if I’d been caught with cream on my paws in the dairy?’
    Tudge did not wait for them to answer. ‘Me,Turley’s cat on Turley’s land, going about my lawful business! I’ll tell you for why. Because I challenged them Broomhurst animals, polite but firm, as is my job. Talking they was, to two more hearing humans.’
    â€˜Hearing humans?’
    â€˜Them as hears us animals talking, like you, of course. And I didn’t like the look of them two, neither. One tall, thin and untidy as a scarecrow, and the other round and plump, like a cat full of cream.’
    John and Rosemary looked at one another.
    â€˜Did you hear what they were talking about?’ asked John.
    â€˜Well, I’m not a one to go poking into other people’s affairs. But as I comes up, the plump one says, “How thrilling! Do let’s go!” and claps her hands, and the skinny one says, “We may as well see what she’s up to!” And then one of them cats ups and says, “Her Royal Greyness says you must be there by midnight, and not a word to anyone.” “But how would we get there?” says Roundabout. “The way we came here of course!” says Skinny, sharp like. And then they sees me standing there, and I’d barely given the usual challenge when them animals were on me.’
    â€˜Did you hear anything else?’ asked John.
    â€˜Only Skinny cackling and Roundabout saying,“Dear me, dear me.” Then I broke away and she called after ’em, “Tell Her Royal Greyness we’ll be there!” and she cackled again. You know the rest, thanking you kindly,’ said Tudge.
    â€˜What do you think they were talking about?’ said John curiously. ‘And who is Her Royal Greyness?’
    â€˜Grisana, Queen of the Broomhurst cats, smoke-grey she is, and a proper fierce one, although she seems so gentle. Not like our lovely Blandamour. But when the Kings get the Summons, it’s the Queens who reign till they come home. It’s my belief there’s mischief brewing. So cock-a-hoop them Broomhurst animals is. Singing rude songs and shouting insults