Chapter 5

There were suddenly a lot more people around than before. When the cat turned to look down the hill, he could see a steady stream of people leaving the mill and heading into the village. The faster ones were already turning onto North Street. One girl at the front peeled off from the crowd with lots of shouts of ‘Bye Martha!’ and ‘See you tomorrow, Martha!’.

She ran into the pub on the street corner, and reappeared moments later with a large jug. She turned and walked down the street, careful not to spill a drop.

The cat decided to follow her. Who knew, maybe she had milk in that jug…

Water wasn’t safe to drink in Georgian times so families drank ‘weak beer’ from the local pub instead. That’s why there were two pubs at the end of North street, though only The Bell is still a working pub now.

To follow the cat, walk down North Street to the school railings.

Your secret letter is T.

This is part of the Cromford Mills Story Trail: A Cat Comes to Cromford. For more information, visit https://www.cromfordmills.org.uk/event/a-cat-comes-to-cromford-story-trail/