[Tevildo]

As Cook lay indignant, sprawled on her back in an ungainly pose, Tevildo hunched down in the water, then twisted to the left, and gave a determined leap. He cleared the side of the dishpan with plenty of room to spare and landed deftly on the upper shelf, positioning his body right beneath the hook where the smoked bird still hung.

If truth be told, Tevildo preferred to kill his own prey, since birds dressed by the butcher were not quite as moist or succulent as those slaughtered on the wing. But, hungry is hungry! He'd had nothing to eat all morning. The mice had stayed curled up in their holes, frustrating all his efforts to come away with a tasty prize. Tevildo's stomach was growling ever louder, and he thought it best simply to accept what had fallen into his path

Seeing the resolute look in Cook's eyes, the cat decided to act first and think later so that he could manage to get away with his fur intact. With one last desperate leap, he reached up for the hanging poultry. Tevildo couldn't bring the whole bird down but he did succeed in getting hold of the left wing and, with a mighty heave, tore the appendage loose from the rest of the body and jumped down to the floor. For a moment he stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen. The smoked wing hung out one side of his mouth, as he stared quizzically about the room, searching for a means of escape. He suddenly spied a window that faced out onto the garden. Someone had propped it open an inch or two with the help of a flour bag. Squeezing through the narrow opening. he managed to wriggle his body outside along with his prized chicken wing. The only thing still inside the kitchen was the very tip of his puffy white tail. One more heave and he would be through to the freedom of the garden!