The Tale of The Pie and The Patty-Pan (Beatrix Potter Originals)

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Oh, I didn't put one in, my dear Duchess," said Ribby; "I don't think that it is necessary in pies made of mouse."

This is a tale involving a pussy-cat named Ribby and a lovely little dog named Duchess. And Ribby invites Duchess to tea, an invitation that Duchess accepts with the proviso that the something delicious promised by Ribby does not include mouse in it! The story itself is okay. A fair bit amusing, as the dog and cat deal with their little differences. That is, as the cat doesn't care what's going on and the dog manages to mess up everything.

BEATRIX POTTER

I think it wants another five minutes," said Ribby. "Just a shade longer; I will pour out the tea, while we wait. Do you take sugar, my dear Duchess?"

After she has eaten most of the pie, Duchess says that she is looking under the crust for the patty-pan. Ribby says that she did not put a patty-pan in the pie and that all of her patty-pans are still in the kitchen drawer. She says that she does not put metal objects in pies or puddings because one of her relatives once choked to death on a thimble in a Christmas pudding. [3] Duchess continues to look inside the pie for the patty-pan. When she cannot find it, she concludes that she must have swallowed it. She complains that she feels ill. Ribby says that she will go to fetch the doctor, a magpie named Dr. Maggotty. Once upon a time there was a Pussy-cat called Ribby, who invited a little dog called Duchess, to tea..." You'll likely need to explain to your child what a "patty-pan" is, as I cook a lot and I still had no idea they were even a thing. I pretty much immediately was able to visualize one of the little plastic tables used in pizza boxes, which isn't too far off from the real thing, but I was certainly puzzled for a while.In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and became secretly engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne, causing a breach with her parents, who disapproved of his social status. Warne died before the wedding. Ribby stared with amazement—“Did you ever see the like! so there really WAS a patty-pan? . . . But MY patty-pans are all in the kitchen cupboard. Well I never did! . . . Next time I want to give a party—I will invite Cousin Tabitha Twitchit!” Duchess arrives at Ribby's house for tea. Ribby tells her that she has made her a mouse and bacon pie. She offers Duchess a sugar lump. Duchess balances the sugar lump on her nose and then drops it. She looks under the table for the lump of sugar. While Duchess is under the table, Ribby takes her mouse pie out of the oven. Duchess does not see that the pie is taken out of the top oven. Duchess says that she would like to cut the pie herself. Although she does not remember having minced the meat so finely, Duchess happily eats the mouse pie, believing that it is her veal and ham pie.