ad settled that point, she
began to grow rather thirsty, and (quite forgetting that she had
already had a very good supper, and that Contenta had left her her
full share of the milk that was put out for them every night), being
naturally of a very greedy disposition, she thought how nice a great
dish full of cream would be.

Now it so happened, that close by the window-seat on which she had
stationed herself, there stood on the floor a huge old china
punch-bowl, which was never used except on very great occasions, such
as a marriage in the baron's family, and the like. Many a long year it
was since that bowl had ever been used! there it stood, half-covered
with cobwebs; but the housekeeper came and dusted it sometimes. Well;
Wishie's eye just then fell on the great bowl.

'What a quantity of cream it would hold!' she exclaimed; 'how nice it
would be to have it to lap whenever I liked! I do wish it was full of
nice thick cream, like that the baron has for breakfast!'

Wishie had hardly said it, when something began bubbling up, very
gently, as if it was very soft, from the bottom of the bowl, and in a
few minutes there floated at her feet, a perfect white sea! an ocean
of cream--smooth, delicious, and tempting. It was so conveniently
close to the window-sill, too, that by planting her fore-paws on the
rim of the bowl, she could stoop down and lap so comfortably! At least
she thought so at first; but somehow, when she came to try, the china
was so thin and so slippery, that she found she could get very little
hold. It was very provoking. But she tried a second time; really, it
was _dreadfully_ slippery, and there was nothing that she could stick
her claws into--however, she did at last contrive to get her tongue
just to the top of the cream; but she had scarcely tasted it, when
suddenly her paws shot apart, and she tumbled headlong into the bowl!
The bowl was deep and wide, and there was nothing for her to cling to,
to help herself out by. O, what a splashing and spluttering she made!
but it did her no good; the cream got into her eyes, her mouth, her
nostrils, and she could not anyhow lift herself out of it--there she
must stay, coughing, choking, and struggling, till she was drowned.
Wishie thought she had quite enough cream! But just as she was sinking
down, quite exhausted with her useless efforts, she felt her neck
seized, and that some one was drawing her out of the bowl. The next
minute she was laid safe and sou