The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof Read Online Free PDF

“Absolute nonsense.”
    Minou yawned and stood up.
    “What are you doing?”
    “I’m going to get in my box,” she said.
    Fluff curled around her legs and, together with the grey cat, she made her way over to the corner of the attic where she kept her box.
    Tibble called after her in an angry voice, “If you
were
a cat…
whose
cat were you?”
    No answer came. He heard a quiet, purring miaow. A conversation in Cattish. Two cats talking behind the partition.

5
Tibble’s Secretary
    O ne afternoon when Tibble was climbing the stairs to his attic, he heard a furious screeching coming from his flat; it sounded like two cats fighting.
    He raced up the rest of the staircase three steps at a time and stormed into his living room.
    He had a visitor. But it wasn’t exactly a tea party.
    Crouched on the floor was the little girl, Bibi. Minou was across from her, also on the floor. There was an empty box next to them and they both had a hand on something. They were yelling at each other at the top of their lungs.
    â€œWhat is it? What have you got there?” Tibble cried.
    â€œLet go!” Bibi screamed.
    â€œWhat’s under your hands?” Tibble asked again. “
Miss Minou
! Will you please let go immediately!”
    Minou looked up at him with an expression that was more cattish than ever.
    There was a vicious, murderous glint in her eyes and she refused to let go. She closed the hand with the small, sharp nails even tighter around whatever it was she was holding.
    â€œLet go, I said!” Tibble smacked her hand, hard. She slid back and hissed furiously, but she did let go. In almost the same instant, though, she lashed out, clawing him painfully on the nose.
    And now Tibble saw what it was: a white mouse. Still unharmed.
    Gently Bibi picked up the mouse and put it back in its box, but she was crying from fright and indignation.
    â€œIt’s
my
mouse,” she sobbed. “I only got it out to show her and then she jumped on it. I’m leaving. And I’m never coming back.”
    â€œWait, Bibi, please,” Tibble said. “Don’t rush off. Listen. This is Miss Minou. She’s, um… she’s…” He thought for a moment. “She’s my secretary and she doesn’t mean any harm. Not at all. In fact, she really loves mice.”
    Minou was on her feet now and staring down at the closed box. You could tell she loved mice, but not the way Tibble meant.
    â€œIsn’t that right, Miss Minou?” Tibble asked. “You didn’t want to hurt the poor mouse, did you?”
    Minou leant over to rub her head against his shoulder, but he took a step to one side.
    â€œWhat else have you got there, Bibi?” Tibble asked, pointing at a large collecting tin.
    â€œI’m going round with the tin,” Bibi said. “Collecting money. It’s for the present. The present for Mr Smith’s anniversary. And you’ve got blood on your nose.”
    Tibble wiped his nose with his hand. There was blood all over it.
    â€œDon’t worry about that,” he said. “I’ll put some money in your tin.”
    â€œAnd I’ve come to show you my drawing,” Bibi said. She unrolled a big sheet of paper and Tibble and Minou shouted out together, “That’s the Tatter Cat! It looks just like her.”
    â€œIt’s for the drawing competition at school,” Bibi said. “I just came by to show you.”
    â€œIt’s beautiful,” Tibble said and felt yet another drop of blood running down his face.
    â€œIf I go and look for a plaster in the bathroom,” he said gruffly, “I hope that
you
, Miss Minou, will be able to control yourself for a moment.” He put the mouse box on his desk, gave Minou a menacing look and backed out of the room.
    I’ve got a secretary, he thought. That sounds excellent, very posh. But she happens to be a secretary who wouldn’t hesitate to gobble up a little girl’s