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herself against Claudia's legs. "Wah!" she said, and gave giant purrs. Everything Punka did was on the big scale, and her feet were truly colossal! But then, she was a colossal cat, as was her mother, Miranda.
    Now this spectacle that Punka had presented for the entertainment of cats and, as it happened, humans, too, had temporarily distracted all from thoughts of Zag. But a low moan from deep in the shadows made the family turn to see what that was. They could barely make out a huge, rather formless lump. It looked like an old mop or a fur mantle, and Miranda had sat down beside it. She was crouching there silently, as though wondering when anyone would wake up to the fact that this was no old mop or fur mantle, it was...
    "Zag!" cried Marcus. "Zag! Zaggie!"
    The great hulk moved. Trembling, shaking, it was trying to get to its feet.
    "Zaggie! Zaggie! It is Zag!" Claudia and Miranda added their words of encouragement.
    "
Paella! Cara puella!
Dear girl!" That was what Marcus often called Zag, and Zag liked it.
    At the sound of the beloved voice, Zag managed to hoist herself all the way up, and, weak and exhausted though she was, she leaped into the outstretched arms of her master. She put her great shaggy paws around his shoulders and slobbered his face with kisses and spoke many words. "Uh-ruh-ruh-ruh-rum!" she said.
    "There, there, Zaggie!" Marcus said. "You're all right now, all right." He let Zaggie lick his face, beard and all, for as long as Zaggie wanted. This might have been forever if Lavinia had not said, "Well, now. We ought to go. Aren't we the lucky people to have found all our pets, all three of our pets?"
    "And that's the way the story ends," said Claudia merrily and happily.
    But that was not the end, for Miranda would not go. Instead, she beckoned to Claudia again. "Wirra-wirra," she said. And Claudia followed her into a little side room, the ticket room. Four very tiny little kittens were making sounds, the faintest of mew-mews. They were much too small for playing the pyramid game. Miranda ran to them, and they joyously cuddled close to her.

    "Oh, look!" exclaimed Claudia in delight. "These are Miranda's own little, new little kittens! Aren't they cunning! Oh, Miranda, you great, wonderful cat. You know what you are? You are Miranda the Great!"
    Miranda purred at the praise. Her little square-jawed face was upturned to Claudia. But her eyes were deep and dark and sad. It seemed as though Claudia's words, "You are Miranda the Great," were resounding in the vast arena like a giant echoing whisper ... Miranda the Great ... Miranda the Great...
    "Well," said Marcus. "Time to be going now. Gather up the cats and kittens. Don't let any of the other cats and kittens follow us. Six is plenty."
    "I know," said Claudia laughingly. "I'll carry two of the kittens."
    "And I the other two," said Lavinia happily.
    "And that's the way the story ends," repeated Claudia even more merrily and happily than before.
    But that was not the end either.
    Miranda stood up majestically. "Woe-woe," she said.
    And then from out of the shadows and from back in the arena came silently the throng of kittens and cat inhabitants of the Colosseum. They crouched down behind Miranda, and they eyed first her, and then the three humans, and they waited. One kitten, the little tiger, boldly said, "Hiss!" when he looked at the people, danced sidewise up to them on stiff legs, and then danced back again.
    Miranda came and stood between the cats and her family. She faced the family and crouched in her familiar "I won't move" position. Her daughter, Punka, crouched down in an identical position beside her. They always fixed it that the tips of their tails were turned in identical curves, and this they did now.
    A terrible suspicion swept into Claudia's mind. "They are telling us something," she said. "They are saying they are not going home with us. Miranda. Punka. Come on, now. We have to go now," she said softly.
    "Mew, mew, mew," said all the