The first farm that Beatrix Potter owned, Hill Top, was an old house with thick walls and many hiding places for rats and mice. In The Tale of Samuel Whiskers this farmhouse is Tom Kitten's home and the story tells what happens when Tom accidently comes upon the rat Samuel Whiskers living in a secret hideout behind the attic walls. The Tale of Samuel Whiskers is number 16 in Beatrix Potter's series of 23 little books.