Food for All Miranda suddenly realized that she was very hungry, too. Before she could rest and sleep, she must find food for her and for Punka. She started on a tour of the quiet Colosseum. Suddenly a look of delight spread over her bright little face. She began to drool. She smelled cooked or cooking meat. Although Miranda felt faint at the mere smell of food, she resolutely concentrated on the succulent smells and made her way toward them. Thus, holding her nose high in the air and sniffing delicately all the time, she came upon food, cooked food, meat smoldering still from the great fire whose flames had licked within the very walls of part of the Colosseum on that terrible day of the sacking of Rome. And this great fire had cooked the meat that was supposed to be for the beasts, the lion for one, held in captivity and awaiting their turn in the arena. The meat was cooked to a T. It was not too black and not too rare, just right. "Woe-woe!" said Miranda happily. "Io!" She smelled this piece and that daintily, for she was a fastidious, non-greedy cat.
