Thank you all!
Until Maurice, I have always had 2 litter sibling kittens. In fact Maurice was supposed to be plus another, but it went a bit awry and we ended up with just the one, and a very special one he was, bless him, there will never be another like him.
Although Sprout has only been here since Wednesday afternoon, he has settled in extremely well, and although I didn't exactly consult Mr P, he is rather smitten!
Charleygirl you are so right about this years losses, although Digby and Lily were never close chums, unlike Digby and Maurice. Strictly entre nous, both Mr P and I got a bit maudlin about the fact that all three of the cats that we moved into the house with, are now buried in the garden 
It is a sad fact that it is the price that we often have to pay for having them as such wonderful additions to our lives.