第23章 THE PIE AND THE PATTY-PAN(3)

"Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!""Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think you feel it?""Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby; I have swallowed a large tin patty-pan with a sharp scalloped edge!""Shall I run for the doctor? I will just lock up the spoons!""Oh yes, yes! fetch Dr.Maggotty, my dear Ribby: he is a Pie himself, he will certainly understand."Ribby settled Duchess in an armchair before the fire, and went out and hurried to the village to look for the doctor.

She found him at the smithy.

He was occupied in putting rusty

nails into a bottle of ink, which he had obtained at the post office."Gammon? ha! HA!" said he, with his head on one side.

Ribby explained that her guest had swallowed a patty-pan."Spinach? ha! HA!" said he, and accompanied her with alacrity.

He hopped so fast that Ribby-- had to run.It was most conspicuous.All the village could see that Ribby was fetching the doctor.

"I KNEW they would over-eat themselves!" said Cousin Tabitha Twitchit.

But while Ribby had been hunting for the doctor--a curious thing had happened to Duchess, who had been left by herself, sitting before the fire, sighing and groaning and feeling very unhappy.

"How COULD I have swallowed it! such a large thing as a patty-pan!"She got up and went to the table, and felt inside the pie-dish again with a spoon.

"No; there is no patty-pan, and I put one in; and nobody has eaten pie except me, so I must have swallowed it!"She sat down again, and stared mournfully at the grate.The fire crackled and danced, and something sizz-z-zled!

Duchess started! She opened the door of the TOP oven;--out came a rich steamy flavour of veal and ham, and there stood a fine brown pie,-- and through a hole in the top of the pie-crust there was a glimpse of a little tin patty-pan!

Duchess drew a long breath--

"Then I must have been eating MOUSE!...NO wonder I feel ill....But perhaps I should feel worse if I had really swallowed a patty- pan!" Duchess reflected--"What a very awkward thing to have to explain to Ribby! I thinkI will put my pie in the back-yard and say nothing about it.When I go home, I will run round and take it away." She put it outside the back-door, and sat down again by the fire, and shut her eyes; when Ribby arrived with the doctor, she seemed fast asleep.

"Gammon, ha, HA?" said the doctor.

"I am feeling very much better," said Duchess, waking up with a jump."I am truly glad to hear it!" He has brought you a pill, my dearDuchess!"

"I think I should feel QUITE well if he only felt my pulse," said Duchess, backing away from the magpie, who sidled up with something in his beak.

"It is only a bread pill, you had much better take it; drink a little milk, my dear Duchess!""Gammon? Gammon?" said the doctor, while Duchess coughed and choked.

"Don't say that again!" said Ribby, losing her temper--"Here, take this bread and jam, and get out into the yard!""Gammon and spinach! ha ha HA!" shouted Dr.Maggotty triumphantly outside the back door.

"I am feeling very much better, my dear Ribby," said Duchess."Do you not think that I had better go home before it gets dark?""Perhaps it might be wise, my dear Duchess.I will lend you a nice warm shawl, and you shall take my arm.""I would not trouble you for worlds; I feel wonderfully better.One pill of Dr.Maggotty----""Indeed it is most admirable, if it has cured you of a patty-pan! I will call directly after breakfast to ask how you have slept."Ribby and Duchess said good- bye affectionately, and Duchess started home.Half-way up the lane she stopped and looked back; Ribby had gone in and shut her door.Duchess slipped through the fence, and ran round to the back of Ribby's house, and peeped into the yard.

Upon the roof of the pig-stye sat Dr.Maggotty and three jackdaws.The jackdaws were eating pie- crust, and the magpie was drinking gravy out of a patty-pan.

"Gammon, ha, HA!" he shouted when he saw Duchess's little black nose peeping round the corner.

Duchess ran home feeling uncommonly silly!

When Ribby came out for a pailful of water to wash up the tea- things, she found a pink and white pie-dish lying smashed in the middle of theyard.The patty-pan was under the pump, where Dr Maggotty had considerately left it.

Ribby stared with amazement-- "Did you ever see the like! so there really WAS a patty-pan?....But my patty-pans are all in the kitchen cupboard.Well I never did!....Next time I want to give a party --I will invite Cousin Tabitha Twitchit!"THE END