The Book of Cats. 245 



turned under them, before the fire, which was the 

 centre of Noah's family circle on board the Ark !" 



Apropos of Cat-charming or Cat-taming, here 

 are two anecdotes from Mr. Beeton's book : — 



" I have," says the writer, " a vivid recollection 

 of once charming a Cat to within an inch of getting 

 myself thoroughly well thrashed. There lived in 

 our neighbourhood a kind-hearted old gentleman, 

 w^ho was good enough to take a fancy to my un- 

 grateful self, and would frequently invite me (he 

 was a bachelor) to dine with him. The dining part 

 of the business I had not the least objection to ; but 

 after dinner, when we had chatted till he fell into a 

 doze, it became, to a boy nine years old, rather 

 tedious. It was on one such occasion that I be- 

 haved so disgracefully. The old gentleman was 

 nodding, with his slippered feet crossed lazily be- 

 fore the fire, and a fat tortoiseshell Cat, his pro- 

 perty, lay along the rug, placidly asleep, too. Had 

 I been a good boy, I should have sat still, and 

 turned the leaves of Fox's Book of Martyrs till my 

 friend awoke ; but I was not a good boy : I felt 

 myself like a martyr, doomed to the dreadful 

 torture of sitting still. I felt in my pocket for a 

 top-string I had there, and for a minute or so 

 amused myself by bobbing the button at the end 

 of the string on to the nose of the tortoiseshell 



