The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan
A delightful tale of a cat, a dog, and a pie mix-up.
Summary of 6 Key Points
Key Points
- Duchess the dog receives an invitation from Ribby the cat
- Confusion over what pie will be served at tea
- Duchess’s plan to replace Ribby’s mouse pie with her own veal and ham pie
- The mix-up of the pies and Duchess’s distress
- Duchess’s relief on discovering both pies are suitable
- The resolution of the misunderstanding and the continuation of the friendship
key point 1 of 6
Duchess the dog receives an invitation from Ribby the cat
Duchess the dog receives a gracious invitation from Ribby the cat to attend an afternoon tea. The invitation is a formal and polite gesture, indicative of the social customs that the animals in the story adhere to, mimicking the etiquette of human society. Ribby, being a considerate host, plans to serve a mouse pie, which is a dish she assumes Duchess will enjoy, given that cats typically relish such a meal…Read&Listen More
key point 2 of 6
Confusion over what pie will be served at tea
The confusion over what pie will be served at tea is a central comedic element in the story. It begins with Duchess, a little dog, who receives an invitation to have tea and pie with her friend Ribby, a cat. Duchess, however, is worried because she dislikes mouse pie, which she fears Ribby might serve. Her suspicion is based on the common stereotype of cats enjoying mice, but there’s no direct indication that Ribby would actually serve such a pie to her guest…Read&Listen More
key point 3 of 6
Duchess’s plan to replace Ribby’s mouse pie with her own veal and ham pie
In the story, Duchess, a little white dog, is invited to tea by her friend Ribby, a cat. Duchess is worried about attending the tea party because she fears that Ribby will serve her mouse pie, a dish that she finds very unappealing. She is distressed at the thought of having to eat something she dislikes and comes up with a plan to avoid this situation. Duchess decides to bake her own pie, made from veal and ham—a dish she finds much more palatable—and bring it to the tea party to replace Ribby’s mouse pie without her host noticing…Read&Listen More
key point 4 of 6
The mix-up of the pies and Duchess’s distress
Duchess the dog is looking forward to having tea with her friend Ribby the cat. However, as she doesn’t like mouse pie, which she believes Ribby will serve, Duchess decides to bake her own veal and ham pie to bring along. Before the tea, Duchess visits Ribby to drop off her pie, and Ribby tells her she will bake a pie and keep it in the oven. Duchess replaces Ribby’s pie with her own in the oven, intending to pretend she’s eating Ribby’s mouse pie while actually enjoying her own veal and ham pie…Read&Listen More
key point 5 of 6
Duchess’s relief on discovering both pies are suitable
The story unfolds with Duchess, the small white dog, having been invited to a tea party by Ribby, the cat. Duchess is anxious about the gathering, particularly because she anticipates that Ribby will serve mouse pie, which she finds completely disagreeable. In her unease, she decides to bake her own pie—a veal and ham pie—and swap it with Ribby’s pie. She reasons that this way, she’ll be able to enjoy the tea party without offending her hostess by refusing to eat the mouse pie…Read&Listen More
key point 6 of 6
The resolution of the misunderstanding and the continuation of the friendship
The resolution of the misunderstanding in the story begins when Duchess, the dog, mistakenly believes she has swallowed a small silver patty-pan after eating a pie at Ribby the cat’s house. The fear of having a patty-pan inside her leads Duchess to seek the doctor’s help. In a comical turn of events, it is discovered that she did not swallow the patty-pan after all. Instead, it is found by Ribby, who had actually received two patty-pans from the baker and had not noticed one was missing. This discovery clears up the confusion and relieves Duchess of her worry…Read&Listen More