Four fat mice appeared and stood shyly in the doorway.

“Come in, come in!” Mrs. Noodlekugel said. “We have visitors! And cookies!” To Nick and Maxine she said, “All these mice have won prizes. They are prize-winning mice.”

“I didn’t know they gave prizes to mice,” Nick said.

“Oh, they do! They do!” Mrs. Noodlekugel said.

The mice scampered up the tablecloth and sat in a row at the edge of the table. Mrs. Noodlekugel tore a paper napkin into four squares and handed them to the mice, who tucked them under their chins.

“Mr. Fuzzface came to me when I was working on the railroad,” Mrs. Noodlekugel said. “He was a railroad cat. In those days, he could not speak a word of English, could you, Mr. Fuzzface?”

“Not a word,” Mr. Fuzzface said.

“And you taught him to speak?” Nick asked.

“She did,” Mr. Fuzzface said. “She was very patient. Cats have trouble with consonants, you see.”

“I gave him exercises,” Mrs. Noodlekugel said.

“Exercises?” Maxine asked.

“I had to say ‘jingle jungle jangle joker’ one hundred times,” Mr. Fuzzface said. “And ‘monkeys make Monopoly monotonous.’”

“And now he speaks perfectly!” Mrs. Noodlekugel said.

“You are too kind,” Mr. Fuzzface said.

While she was talking, Mrs. Noodlekugel poured out cups of tea for Nick and Maxine and tiny cups the size of thimbles for the mice. Mr. Fuzzface handed cookies round and broke off small pieces for the mice.

The children noticed that the mice appeared to have trouble finding the pieces of cookie — they had to sniff with their noses and feel around with their tiny fingers. And when they broke off crumbs to eat, they went to put them in their noses and eyes as often as into their mouths.

“The mice are farsighted,” Mrs. Noodlekugel said. “But they enjoy tea parties.”