282 The Book of Cats. 



away, but it returned again, and would go to the 

 corner of the stairs, and then turn round, as if to 

 see ^whether he was following it. At last he 

 followed it down-stairs, and found the whole of the 

 lower premises inundated, the water having been 

 turned on from the main. 



Here, too, is a facetious stor}^, which should not 

 be omitted : — 



One night, some hours after a certain family had 

 retired to rest, there arose a most extraordinary 

 and unaccountable noise in the lower part of the 

 house. Had thieves broken in .^ If so they must 

 have been very noisy thieves, and quite careless as 

 to the noise they made. You can imagine Pater- 

 familias sitting up in bed, and listening with sus- 

 pended breath ; Materfamilias suggesting that he 

 had better get up, and see what was the matter ; 

 Paterfamilias of the contrary opinion, and inclined 

 to w^ait a-while, and see what happened next. 

 Then a group of white figures, with whiter faces, at 

 the head of the stairs, and the mysterious noise 

 below growing louder and louder. 



But the explanation of all this was simple 

 enough, when some venturesome spirit summoned 

 up courage to creep down-stairs and enquire into 

 the cause. The servant, when she had gone to 



