76 THE FIRESIDE SPHINX 



and we may read page after page of impassioned 

 verse addressed to her by the wits and poets of 

 her day, who veiled their own sentiments thinly 

 under the disguise of despairing feline suitors. 

 There seems to have been little coquetry in Gri- 

 sette. She granted few favours ; but preserved 

 that soft and courteous indifference, that exquisite 

 delicacy and tact, which compelled respect as well 

 as adoration. Yet she too had a charming poetic 

 gift, — Mme. Deshoullieres acting as her amanu- 

 ensis, — and nothing can be prettier than her shy 

 admission to Tata that his gallantry and valour 

 made her little heart beat fast ; or than these lines 

 which defy translation, but which may be accepted 

 as the highest standard of absolute good-breeding 

 for a cat. They should be hung, in their sweet old 

 French, on the walls of every kitten nursery in the 

 world. 



" Scavez-vous de quel air discret et raisonnable 

 J 'ay ma part des bons repas? 

 J'appuye discretement ma patte sur les bras 

 De ceux qui sont assis a table. 

 Si leur faim est inexorable, 

 Ma faim ne se rebute pas ; 

 Et d'un air toujours agreable, 

 Je tire du moins charitable 

 Les morceaux les plus delicats." 



It is melancholy to relate that Moncrifwas pelted 

 with ridicule by the satirists of his day because of 



