296 THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 



known him to leave his work, and to go down from the 

 top of the house to the bottom, on three separate 

 occasions in the course of a single morning, just because 

 it occurred to one of our cats that she would like to 

 show him her kittens. She would come to the door, 

 and mew for admission, and then sit and mew again 

 until he got up and accompanied her downstairs; and 

 then she would go straight off to the basket where her 

 kittens were lying, and rub herself against it, and 

 then against him, purring loudly, and in every way 

 endeavouring to show her pride. Then he would stroke 

 and admire them, ask the cat whether she were satis- 

 fied, and then go back to his work. And in the course 

 of half an hour or so the same programme would be 

 exactly repeated. I do not know whether he would 

 have gone quite so far as the Prophet Mahomet is 

 reported to have done, and have cut off the sleeve of a 

 coat upon which a cat was lying asleep rather than 

 disturb her. But he would always cheerfully give up 

 his time to supplying the wants of a cat, or indeed of 

 any animal, whether those wants were fancied or real. 

 And he was never more happy than when surrounded 

 by animals with which he was intimate, and which, to 

 him, were not only companions, but true and actual 

 friends. 



