120 The Book of Cats. 



credit of Tom's character, that he never attempted 

 to touch the milk himself. 



But the best story is this : — Mrs. Loudon had a 

 Cat which had unfortunately hurt its leg. During 

 the whole time the leg was bad, that lady constantly 

 gave it milk ; but, at last, she found out that, though 

 the Cat had become quite well, yet whenever it 

 saw her, it used to walk lame and hold up its paw, 

 as though it were painful to put it to the ground. 



A favourite Cat, much petted by her mistress , 

 was one day struck by a servant. She resented the 

 injury so much that she refused to eat anything 

 which he gave her. Day after day he handed her 

 dinner to her, but she sat in sulky indignation, 

 though she eagerly ate the food as soon as it was 

 offered to her by any other person. Her resent- 

 ment continued, undiminished, for upwards of six 

 weeks. 



The same Cat, having been offended by the 

 housemaid, watched three days before she found a 

 favourable opportunity for retaliation. The house- 

 maid was on her knees, washing the passage, when 

 the Cat went up to her and scratched her arm, to 

 show her that no one should illuse her with im- 

 punity. It is, however, but fair to record her good 

 qualities as well as her bad ones. If her resent- 



