Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 So far, the tour had been nothing short of a stunning SUCCESS IN DIPLOMACY, and Sheila was over the moon. The sun had been shining, showing London off in all its glory. The twenty-one-meow salute had gone purrfectly, although the noise had terrified a nearby human milkman and made him crash his milk float. Lunch had taken place below a cheese shop in Mayfair, and was a magnificent affair, with mountains of Brie, Camembert and gooey tartiflette (a French

dish of cheese, potatoes, bacon and cream, which Silver loved- 'Unbelievable. I can die a happy cat, and I want to come back French!'). Although Sheila's boss, the stuffy old fusspot Sir Wigbert Fluffypaws the Third, had fallen asleep in his saucer of milk. Early afternoon involved a quick visit to the animal parliament, which was just beneath the human House of Commons. There, they had watched a raging debate about pigeon poo... apparently it was everywhere! THE PIGEON EQUALITY PARTY was up in arms, claiming it wasn't pigeons' fault because not every animal has a litter tray or owners with bags. Now, all that was left before the state banquet was the visit to the TOWER OF LONDON. Toto was as excited as everyone else. Every kitten in the world knew the tale of TOM AND DICK WHITTINGTON, and even with her poor eyesight, she felt sure she'd be able to see some sparkling light reflecting off the

sapphires. Though she couldn't help wondering why Larry hadn't mentioned that he looked after one of the keys before. Top secret, I suppose, she thought to herself. Toto also couldn't help but think that one day she might be the holder of that key when Larry retired. And maybe, just maybe, she could try the collar on? OK, it wasn't strictly in the Ninja code, but there was no harm in being stylish! The French ambassador, Monsieur Raton Laveur, was very stylish. He was a charming white rat, dressed impeccably in a cream pin-striped suit. Silver told Toto that Monsieur had much better dress sense than the Home Secretary, sleepy Sir Fluffypaws the Third, who was an old ginger cat with a massive moustache. He was dressed in an old-fashioned three-piece woollen suit and sported a monocle. In addition to these two, the party was made up of:

A dozen or so of Monsieur Laveur's staff, who were a mixture of equally well- turned-out cats and rats Sheila and her squad of beefy-looking Alsatian police dogs Larry and Toto, of course, plus Silver and Socks- both of whom said they had come along to help their sister. But she thought it was more likely just for a chance to have a sneaky peek at the mystical collar The group left the animal parliament via the drains, which was the quickest exit to the river while keeping out of sight of humans. They emerged just under a pier where Londoners, TOURISTS- AND ANIMALS!- could catch the boat up and down the river.

THE ANIMAL PIER WAS ON THE LEVEL BELOW THE HUMANS' one, and it was a hub of activity. Animals of all shapes and sizes, locals and

tourists alike, were waiting to board the next vessel, and busy-looking water voles in uniform were issuing tickets.