SOME CATS OF FRANCE 207 



lay a gentle, remonstrating paw upon the singer s 

 lips. Again antf again, says Gautier, this experi 

 ment was tried by guests who deemed such inter 

 ruption an amusement ; and again and again it had 

 the same result. Beyond a certain pitch, their 

 voices were never permitted to rise. &quot; The dilettante 

 in fur was not to be deceived.&quot; 



After Madame Theophile, the cat who seems to 

 have lain closest to his master s heart was Pierrot, 

 so named in infancy because he wore spotless white ; 

 though later in life he won for himself a more dis 

 tinguished title, like Bentham s Sir John Lang- 

 bourne, and became known to Parisian society as 

 Don Pierrot de Navarre. He was of an affectionate 

 disposition, though tranquil and self-contained ; 

 never effusive, but delighting in the refinements of 

 confidential and sympathetic intercourse. &quot; He 

 shared the life of the household,&quot; writes M. Gautier, 

 &quot;with that enjoyment of quiet fireside friendship 

 which is a characteristic of cats. He had his own 

 place on the hearth, and would sit there for hours, 

 listening to conversation with a well-bred air of 

 intelligence and interest. He glanced occasionally 

 from speaker to speaker, and addressed them with 

 little half - articulate sounds, as though protesting 

 politely against their statements, or offering an 

 opinion of his own upon the matter under discus 

 sion. He loved books, and, when he found one 



