Suddenly, Berlioz rushed in from outside.“I’m here! I’m here! I’m so sorry I’m late! Has the tasting started yet?”
“You’re just in time,” Toulouse replied. “Which do you think looks better? The Country Days Delight or the Tropical Adventure Treats?”
“They, er, both look yummy,” Berlioz muttered, then made a beeline for the piano. He sat down and started playing a bouncy jazz tune that made the caf? seem extra festive.
Toulouse turned to Marie.“Does Berlioz seem odd to you?”
Marie nodded.“Yes, but we can talk to him about it later. It’s time to start the judging. I’m going to get up on the piano and make an announcement—”
Toulouse stepped in front of her.“Why doyou always make the announcements?”
“Because I have the loudest voice,” Marie said.
“Don’t be so sure.”
He opened his mouth and started to yowl.
“Toulouse! Haven’t I taught you that yowling indoors is rude?” Duchess said.
Toulouse stopped yowling and shut his mouth.“Sorry, Mama.”
Duchess turned to Pierre.“I believe this is more of a barking occasion. Would you do the honors?”
“My pleasure,” Pierre said before he let out a loudwoof! And then another. Then a few more.
Every creature in the Purrfect Paw-tisserie fell silent.
“Welcome to our first ever Dog Biscuit Bake-Off!” Pierre called. “Everyone, please take just one sample of the Country Days Delight and one sample of the Tropical Adventure Treats. Then decide for yourself which one you like better.”
“Hi! Hello, hello! Pierre?” someone with a high, squeaky voice piped up. It was Pouf, the squirrel. “What about the third treat?”
“Pardon me?” Pierre asked.
“The third treat! On the table with the other two! It’s right here and it looks really delicious and I can’t wait to try it, actually I think I’ll taste that one first—”
“Bah!” Pierre exclaimed.“There’s a third entry?”
Marie and Toulouse looked at each other.A third entry?
Both kittens scrambled over to the judging table. Sure enough, in addition to Claudette’s plate and Nadine and Leon’s basket, there was a tray covered in leaves and blades of grass, and it was filled with little oval treats frosted in bright colors: pink, yellow, green. The name Eggs-ellent Eats was written on a leaf that was fastened to a stick in the middle of the tray.
[Картинка: img_24]
Marie leaned over and sniffed.
“Hmmm,” she said. “These smell sweet. Sugary and buttery.”
Leon, Nadine, and Claudette also rushed to see.
“Wait,” Nadine said. “Were you expecting a third treat?”
“Did anyone else say they were entering?” Leon asked.
“Not to me,” Marie replied. “What about you, Toulouse?”
Toulouse shook his head.“Me neither. Is there a name on the entry?”
Leon, who’d been carefully inspecting the tray of treats, said, “No.”
“Hey, everyone!” Nadine shouted to all the customers with a little bark. “Whose entry is this?”
They looked out at the other animals in the caf?. Which one was the mystery biscuit chef?
[Картинка: img_25]
Nobody spoke up or stepped forward.
“Um, these treats didn’t bake themselves!” Leon said.
“It must be an anonymous entry,” Toulouse said to Marie.
“Should that be allowed?” Marie asked.
“I don’t know,” Toulouse replied. “Let’s ask Berlioz.”
Toulouse and Marie pulled their brother away from the piano and into a corner to discuss.
“It seems strange that someone would bring an entry and not put their name on it,” Toulouse said. “I don’t think we should let it be judged.”
“Oh, Toulouse, you just don’t want the extra competition,” Marie scoffed. “But don’t worry. Claudette’s treat will win anyway.”
“How can you be so sure?” Toulouse asked. “I just heard a poodle saying how much she loves the decorations on our treats.”
Marie glared.“I can’t believe you teamed up with Nadine and Leon. You’ve just met them!”
“Well,they didn’t make fun of me when I said I wanted to learn to bake.”
“Stop bickering, you two!” Berlioz said. “We’re supposed to be talking about the Eggs-ellent Eats.”
“Okay,” Marie said. “What doyou think, Berlioz?”
“I think it’s okay that there’s an anonymous entry in the Bake-Off,” Berlioz replied. “And I also think it’s okay if we want to do more than one thing at the Paw-tisserie. It was fun this morning when I went out to spread the word. I met a lot of interesting animals, and I have more ideas to help the caf? get new customers.”
Marie looked away.“I never said we could only do one thing here. In fact, I’ve been wanting to help you with the entertainment, Berlioz. I would love to start singing again. I just thought both of you wanted to stick with what you know best!”
Berlioz and Toulouse stared at Marie with surprise. Before either of them could reply, Pierre stepped into the middle of the trio.
“So? What did you three decide?” Pierre asked.
Berlioz jumped onto the piano keys and announced in his loudest, most official-sounding voice,“The third entry is allowed! Let the tasting begin!”
There was a sudden buzz of barks, meows, squawks, squeaks, and other noises as all the animals started tasting the treats.
“Mmmmmmm-eow,” Thomas O’Malley purred as he sampled the Country Days Delight.
“Scrump-de-li-icious!” Pouf, the squirrel, said, licking every last crumb of a Tropical Adventure Treat from his paws.
[Картинка: img_26]
“Grrrrrr-yummy,” Pierre growled as he nibbled on an Eggs-ellent Eat.
“You’d better taste Claudette’s treats before they’re gone,” Marie said to her brothers.
“You two try the Country Days Delight,” Toulouse urged them.
The kittens took one of each biscuit. They shared a Country Days Delight and a Tropical Adventure Treat.
“Mmmmm,” Toulouse and Marie both said at the same time.
“This really does remind me of a country inn,” Marie said. “It’s actually…er…well, very delicious. And the pie-slice design is super creative.”
Toulouse licked his lips.“This treat is definitely a tropical adventure.…Marie, it could be, uh, a great one to have on the menu.”
Then Berlioz chimed in, holding up a half-eaten Eggs-ellent Eat.“Don’t forget the last biscuit.”
Toulouse took one, broke it in half, and gave the other half to Marie.
After a few nibbles, Toulouse said,“Wow. I taste the egg, but also fruit and vegetables.…”
“And something sweet,” Marie said. “It all reminds me of a garden.”
“These taste like springtime!” Toulouse added. “Are there actually flowers in this recipe?”
“Yes,” Berlioz replied. “They’re amazing, right?”
Toulouse frowned.“How would you know?”
Berlioz just smiled and returned to the piano to play.
Marie and Toulouse followed him, but before they could pester their brother with more questions, Pierre appeared and said,“Bah! Every last treat from all three entries has been gobbled up! It’s time to take a vote.”
He hopped up onto a chair and barked everyone to attention.
“Are you all ready to choose a winner of the Dog Biscuit Bake-Off?” he asked, and all the animals replied with a chorus of sounds.
“Who thinks the Country Days Delight should be the winner?”
Some of the animals piped up. Nadine and Leon looked very pleased with themselves.
“Who thinks the Tropical Adventure Treats should be the winner?” Pierre asked.
Other animals piped up this time. They sounded about as loud as the first group—there was no clear winner yet. Claudette reacted with a happy yip.
“And finally,” Pierre continued, “who thinks the Eggs-ellent Eats deserve the title?”
This time, the noise was much louder and longer than it was for the first two. There was no question who’d received the most votes. Nadine, Leon, and Claudette all looked at one another with shock and disappointment.