The First Little Pet Book, With Ten Short Tales

Only to think! A letter from Aunt Fanny to the little ones, which begins in this fanny way: "You Darling Kittens-" All the small children looked at Mary O'Reilly-who sat staring at the fire, with her whiskers sticking up in the air, and then felt their faces with their little fat hands. They did not find the least scrap of a whisker anywhere on their round cheeks; and Pet said-"But I a ittle girl; I not a kitty"-at which all the family laughed, and ran to kiss her-and she thought she had been very smart, I can tell you; and clapped her hands and said again-"No! I not a kitty!" and all the rest of the little ones said they were not kittens, and for two minutes there was such fun, everybody mewing like cats, and patting each other softly for play. The little mother said they must all have been to Catalonia; and that might be the reason why Aunt Fanny called them "kittens;" or perhaps it was because she loved them.