4 CRYSTAL PALACE CAT SHOW. 



way to the Cat Show." "What!" said my friend, "that 

 surpasses everything ! A show of cats ! Why, I hate the 

 things ; I drive them off my premises when I see them. 

 You'll have a fine bother with them in their cages ! Or are 

 they to be tied up? Anyhow, what a noise there will be, and 

 how they will clutch at the bars and try and get out, or they 

 will strangle themselves with their chains." " I am sorry, 

 very sorry," said I, " that you do not like cats. For my 

 part, I think them extremely beautiful, also very graceful in 

 all their actions, and they are quite as domestic in their 

 habits as the dog, if not more so. They are very useful in 

 catching rats and mice ; they are not deficient in sense ; 

 they will jump up at doors to push up latches with their 

 paws. I have known them knock at a door by the knocker 

 when wanting admittance. They know Sunday from the 

 week-day, and do not go out to wait for the meat barrow 



on that day ; they " " Stop," said my friend, " I see you 



do like cats, and I do not, so let the matter drop." "No," 

 said I, "not so. That is why I instituted this Cat Show; I 

 wish every one to see how beautiful a well-cared-for cat is, 

 and how docile, gentle, and — may I use the term? — cossetty. 

 Why should not the cat that sits purring in front of us 

 before the fire be an object of interest, and be selected for 

 its colour, markings, and form ? Now come with me, my 

 dear old friend, and see the first Cat Show." 



Inside the Crystal Palace stood my friend and I. Instead 

 of the noise and struggles to escape, there lay the cats in 

 their different pens, reclining on crimson cushions, making 

 no sound save now and then a homely purring, as from 

 time to time they lapped the nice new milk provided for 

 them. Yes, there they were, big cats, very big cats, middling- 

 sized cats, and small cats, cats of all colours and markings, 

 and beautiful pure white Persian cats ; and as we passed 

 down the front of the cages I saw that my friend became 

 interested ; presently he said : "What a beauty this is ! and 

 here's another ! " " And no doubt," said I, " many of the 

 cats you have seen before would be quite as beautiful if 

 they were as well cared for, or at least cared for at all; 



