VII: Mews from Persia explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Magic and Adventure

  The children use the wishing carpet to fetch exotic items, leading to chaotic and unexpected results.

• Deception and Secrecy

  The children hide the Phoenix from the cats and keep the carpet's magic secret from neighbors.

• Family and Responsibility

  Robert's forgetfulness causes the children to travel home alone, and they must manage the consequences of their magical experiment.

Characters to notice

• Anthea

  Suggests sending the carpet for food and proposes selling the cats for money.

• Cyril

  Writes the wish on paper and leads the children into the room.

• Robert

  Forgets to post Aunt Emma's letter, causing the children to be stranded at Waterloo; later hides the Phoenix in his jacket.

• Jane

  Peeps through the keyhole and describes the cats as a 'giant kitty-cat'.

• The Phoenix

  Advises the children on using the carpet, helps with washing up, and hides in Robert's jacket from the cats.

Key passages

• “We wish you to go to your dear native home, and bring back the most beautiful and delightful productions of it you can—and not to be gone long, please.”

  The children write a wish asking the carpet to go to its homeland and return with wonderful items quickly.

  This is the first wish they send the carpet on, leading to the arrival of the Persian cats.

• “It's a giant kitty-cat; and it's asleep all over the floor.”

  Jane describes the mass of Persian cats she sees through the keyhole as one enormous cat covering the floor.

  Jane's observation reveals the carpet's unexpected cargo.

• “I imagine that they are hungry. If you were to feed them—”

  The Phoenix suggests the cats are mewing because they need food.

  This prompts the children to send the carpet for cat food, which backfires.