THIEVES OF THE NIGHT 



in his fright and pain bit the thing nearest 

 to him, which happened to be my brother's 

 hand. His tail soon mended, and that was 

 his one and only lapse from perfect gentle- 

 ness and good behaviour. Sometimes he was 

 sorely tested, for I have dragged him from 

 behind furniture, or out of his nest, by a leg, 

 the scruff of his neck, or the first part that 

 came handy, but he never resented my rough 

 treatment and took it all in good part. I am 

 speaking of not only when he was a sleek half- 

 grown youngster, but when he was a full- 

 grown exceedingly big buck rat. 



Puss by no means considered her duties 

 finished when she had washed her rat, but went 

 poaching and mousing on his behalf. If a cat 

 was heard crying very piteously about the 

 house we knew at once that it was old puss, 

 who had come in with something for the rat, 

 and was mewing for some one to go and open 

 the door so that she could take her kill to his 

 room. Proudly she would bear the young 

 rabbit or mouse into the room, drop it, and lie 

 down purring contentedly, while Whiskers 

 sniffed at the corpse. But further than this, 

 excepting on one occasion, he never got, as I 

 always took it away. Once he did carry the 



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