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The Roly-Poly Pudding, also known as The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, is a charming children's book by Beatrix Potter. The narrative revolves around the misadventures of a carefree kitten named Tom Kitten who, while exploring his family's old manor, gets caught by a large rat named Samuel Whiskers. Samuel plans to turn Tom Kitten into a roly-poly pudding for his dinner. With the help of his mother and sisters, Tom Kitten must escape before it's too late. The story is packed with delightful illustrations and memorable characters, highlighting themes of adventure, family, and survival.


Year:
1902
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Submitted by davidb on September 27, 2023
Modified on September 27, 2023


								
It was most confusing in the dark. One flue seemed to lead into another. There was less smoke, but Tom Kitten felt quite lost. He scrambled up and up; but before he reached the chimney top he came to a place where somebody had loosened a stone in the wall. There were some mutton bones lying about. "This seems funny," said Tom Kitten. "Who has been gnawing bones up here in the chimney? I wish I had never come! And what a funny smell? It is something like mouse, only dreadfully strong. It makes me sneeze," said Tom Kitten. He squeezed through the hole in the wall and dragged himself along a most uncomfortably tight passage where there was scarcely any light. He groped his way carefully for several yards; he was at the back of the skirting board in the attic, where there is a little mark * in the picture. All at once he fell head over heels in the dark, down a hole, and landed on a heap of very dirty rags. When Tom Kitten picked himself up and looked about him, he found himself in a place that he had never seen before, although he had lived all his life in the house. It was a very small stuffy fusty room, with boards, and rafters, and cobwebs, and lath and plaster. Opposite to him--as far away as he could sit--was an enormous rat. "What do you mean by tumbling into my bed all covered with smuts?" said the rat, chattering his teeth. "Please, sir, the chimney wants sweeping," said poor Tom Kitten. "Anna Maria! Anna Maria!" squeaked the rat. There was a pattering noise and an old woman rat poked her head round a rafter. All in a minute she rushed upon Tom Kitten, and before he knew what was happening. . . . . . his coat was pulled off, and he was rolled up in a bundle, and tied with string in very hard knots. Anna Maria did the tying. The old rat watched her and took snuff. When she had finished, they both sat staring at him with their mouths open. "Anna Maria," said the old man rat (whose name was Samuel Whiskers), "Anna Maria, make me a kitten dumpling roly-poly pudding for my dinner." "It requires dough and a pat of butter and a rolling pin," said Anna Maria, considering Tom Kitten with her head on one side. "No," said Samuel Whiskers, "make it properly, Anna Maria, with breadcrumbs." "Nonsense! Butter and dough," replied Anna Maria. The two rats consulted together for a few minutes and then went away. Samuel Whiskers got through a hole in the wainscot and went boldly down the front staircase to the dairy to get the butter. He did not meet anybody. He made a second journey for the rolling pin. He pushed it in front of him with his paws, like a brewer's man trundling a barrel. He could hear Ribby and Tabitha talking, but they were too busy lighting the candle to look into the chest. They did not see him. Anna Maria went down by way of skirting board and a window shutter to the kitchen to steal the dough. She borrowed a small saucer and scooped up the dough with her paws. She did not observe Moppet. While Tom Kitten was left alone under the floor of the attic, he wriggled about and tried to mew for help. But his mouth was full of soot and cobwebs, and he was tied up in such very tight knots, he could not make anybody hear him. Except a spider who came out of a crack in the ceiling and examined the knots critically, from a safe distance. It was a judge of knots because it had a habit of tying up unfortunate bluebottles. It did not offer to assist him. Tom Kitten wriggled and squirmed until he was quite exhausted. Presently the rats came back and set to work to make him into a dumpling. First they smeared him with butter, and then they rolled him in the dough. "Will not the string be very indigestible, Anna Maria?" inquired Samuel Whiskers. Anna Maria said she thought that it was of no consequence; but she wished that Tom Kitten would hold his head still, as it disarranged the pastry. She laid hold of his ears. Tom Kitten bit and spit, and mewed and wriggled; and the rolling pin went roly-poly, roly; roly-poly, roly. The rats each held an end. "His tail is sticking out! You did not fetch enough dough, Anna Maria." "I fetched as much as I could carry," replied Anna Maria. "I do not think"--said Samuel Whiskers, pausing to take a look at Tom Kitten--"I do NOT think it will be a good pudding. It smells sooty." Anna Maria was about to argue the point when all at once there began to be other sounds up above--the rasping noise of a saw, and the noise of a little dog, scratching and yelping! The rats dropped the rolling pin and listened attentively. "We are discovered and interrupted, Anna Maria; let us collect our property--and other people's--and depart at once. "I fear that we shall be obliged to leave this pudding. "But I am persuaded that the knots would have proved indigestible, whatever you may urge to the contrary." "Come away at once and help me to tie up some mutton bones in a counterpane," said Anna Maria. "I have got half a smoked ham hidden in the chimney." So it happened that by the time John Joiner had got the plank up-- there was nobody here under the floor except the rolling pin and Tom Kitten in a very dirty dumpling! But there was a strong smell of rats; and John Joiner spent the rest of the morning sniffing and whining, and wagging his tail, and going round and round with his head in the hole like a gimlet. Then he nailed the plank down again and put his tools in his bag, and came downstairs. The cat family had quite recovered. They invited him to stay to dinner. The dumpling had been peeled off Tom Kitten and made separately into a bag pudding, with currants in it to hide the smuts. They had been obliged to put Tom Kitten into a hot bath to get the butter off. John Joiner smelt the pudding; but he regretted that he had not time to stay to dinner, because he had just finished making a wheelbarrow for Miss Potter, and she had ordered two hen coops. And when I was going to the post late in the afternoon--I looked up the land from the corner, and I saw Mr. Samuel Whiskers and his wife on the run, with big bundles on a little wheelbarrow, which looked very much like mine. They were just turning in at the gate to the barn of Farmer Potatoes. Samuel Whiskers was puffing and out of breath. Anna Maria was still arguing in shrill tones. She seemed to know her way, and she seemed to have a quantity of luggage. I am sure I never gave her leave to borrow my wheelbarrow! They went into the barn and hauled their parcels with a bit of string to the top of the haymow. After that, there were no more rats for a long time at Tabitha Twitchit's. As for Farmer Potatoes, he has been driven nearly distracted. There are rats, and rats, and rats in his barn! They eat up the chicken food, and steal the oats and bran, and make
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Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Born into an upper-middle-class household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. more…

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