The Book of Cats. 131 



which he relates a host of anecdotes ; from them 

 are culled the following : — 



Pret knew but one fear, and had but few hates. 

 The booming sound of thunder smote her with 

 terror, and she most cordially hated grinding 

 organs and singular costumes. At the sound of 

 a thunderclap poor Pret would fly to her mistress 

 for succour, trembling in every limb. If the 

 dreaded sound occurred in the night or early 

 morning, Pret would leap on the bed and crawl 

 under the clothes as far as the very foot. If the 

 thunder came on by day, Pret would climb on her 

 mistress's knees, put her paws round her neck and 

 hide her face between them with deliberation. 



She disliked music of all kinds, but bore a special 

 antipathy to barrel organs ; probably because the 

 costume of the organ-grinder was as unpleasing to 

 her eyes, as his doleful sounds were to her ears. But 

 her indignation reached the highest bounds at the 

 sight of a Greenwich pensioner accoutred in those gro- 

 tesque habiliments with which the crippled defenders 

 of their country are forced to invest their battered 

 frames. It was the first time that so uncouth an 

 apparition had presented itself to her eyes, and her 

 anger seemed only equalled by her astonishment. 

 She got on the window sill, and there chafed and 



