TJie Book of Cats. 257 



refugees, and giving them a kindly touch with her 

 nose, walked back to the servant and commenced 

 to rub against her, purring the while, as though to 

 manifest her goodwill towards the strangers, and to 

 recommend a favourable consideration of their case, 

 so they were taken in. 



" As soon, however, as the novelty of the affair 

 wore off, it began to dawn on us that we did not 

 require a * house-full ' of Cats, though for that 

 matter the four lived happily together. Which 

 should we get rid of } The strange Cat's kitten 

 was too big to drown and too little to send adrift ; 

 our own ' Topsy ' and her daughter must, of course, 

 be retained, so there was nothing left but to send 

 away the strange she-Cat. She was rather a good- 

 looking Cat, and that, coupled with her known 

 cleverness, gave us good ground for supposing that 

 she would soon find another home. It appeared, 

 however, that we did not give her credit for being 

 nearly so clever as she was. 



" It was arranged that she should be conveyed 

 in a basket to a certain square, about a quarter-of- 

 a-mile distant, and there left to seek her fortune. 

 To the best of ever>'body's belief, this arrangement 

 was carried out to the letter, therefore the amaze- 

 ment of the entire household may be easily 



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