130 The Book of Cats, 



true to his bargain, licking his jaws and watching 

 Junior steadily consuming a double allowance of 

 Cat's meat. 



Senior had the rare talent of being able to carry 

 a bottle of champagne from one end of the cellar 

 to the other, perhaps a distance of a hundred and 

 fifty feet. The performance was managed in this 

 wise. You gently and lovingly approached the 

 Cat as if you did not mean to perpetrate anything 

 wicked ; having gained his confidence by fondly 

 stroking his back, you suddenly seized his tail, and 

 by that member raised the animal bodily from the 

 ground — his fore feet sprawling in the air ready to 

 catch hold of any object within reach. You then 

 quickly brought the bottle of wine to the seizing 

 point ; Pussy clutched the object with a kind of 

 despairing grip. By means of the aforesaid tail, 

 you carefully carried pussy, bottle and all, from one 

 part of the cellar to the other. Pussy, however, 

 soon became disgusted with this manoeuvre, and 

 whenever he saw a friend with a bottle of cham- 

 pagne looming, he used to beat a precipitate 

 retreat. 



The reverend gentleman before quoted, had at 

 one time in his possession a marvellously clever 

 little Cat, which he called " Pret," and concerning 



