TOMMY AND PEA RUE. 33 



doorway, and said, " That's a mythological subject 

 isn't it, ma'am ? " I replied that it was. She then 

 said, " Is that Pan in the foreground ? " I said, 

 " No, but it is a Satyr." " Well," replied Cookie, 

 " I was saying the other day to the butler, if there 

 were creatures of that sort to be seen nowadays 

 it would go far to prove the Darwinian theory 

 wouldn't it, ma'am ?" History does not record my 

 reply ! I gazed at the creature depicted on the 

 plate, half man and half animal, and felt there was 

 much acumen in my learned servant's remark, but, 

 the question of that day's dinner being once settled, 

 I thought it best to leave the Darwinian theory 

 alone, lest I might not prove equal to the occasion. 

 This, however, is a digression. I have now to 

 record the advent of Tommy's companion, Pearlie. 

 It seemed well that the lemur should have a play- 

 mate, and I often endeavoured to provide one, but 

 was unsuccessful, until one day, on visiting the 

 Bedford Conservatories in Covent Garden, I saw 

 some pretty grey creature curled up in a cage, 

 and on inquiry I found that it was a specimen 

 of another species, the Ring-Tailed Lemur, quite 

 young and very tame. It was just what I wanted, 



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