THREE REGULARS. 197 



houses around began to give up their cats. There 

 were three in whose actions I became specially 

 interested. The most important, and the one to 

 whom I felt the place belonged by right of ap- 

 preciating it, was a personage of dignified man- 

 ners, and evidently of rank in his own world, a 

 magnificent silver tabby, the beauty of the neigh- 

 borhood. Next in interest was a white-and-black 

 cat for whom I had sincere respect because she 

 lived most amicably with two canaries whose 

 cages were always within reach and never dis- 

 turbed. The third was to my eyes anything 

 but attractive, being a faded-looking gray tabby, 

 who entered the place by a hole under the fence 

 next the apartment-house. She looked ill-used, 

 as if her home life was troubled by bad children, 

 or a frivolous, teasing dog, or a raging house- 

 keeper who left no peace to man or beast. 



For whatever cause, when, soon after break- 

 fast, Madam Grey appeared on the scene, she 

 proceeded at once and in silence to the highest 

 bare peak of the hills, a sightly place where she 

 could overlook the thick green forest, with its 

 shady walks and cool retreats, and have timely 

 notice of any approach from the street. On 

 that point she found or made a slight depression, 

 and there she calmly dressed her fur, and then, 

 wrapping her robe around her (so to speak), 

 slept hours at a time. 



