248 THE FIRESIDE SPHINX 



an old Essex place, formerly tenanted by a gentle- 

 man named Farquharson. Mrs. Farquharson had 

 a cat which she highly prized, and which she sent 

 by coach in a closed bag or basket to her new home 

 at Yatesby Bridge, in Hampshire. Five days later, 

 Young received a letter from her, bewailing the loss 

 of her favourite who had promptly disappeared as 

 soon as released from constraint ; and, on the fol- 

 lowing morning, Pussy made her appearance at 

 Samford Hall, looking very forlorn and out at 

 elbows, but plainly delighted to be home again. 

 She had not only travelled seventy miles over an 

 unknown country filled with dangers ; but had 

 actually crossed or skirted London, — " threaded 

 the Metropolis," says Young more poetically, — in 

 the course of her adventurous journey. 



Mr. Andrew Lang is responsible for the story of 

 a cat which was carried from Saint Andrews to 

 Perth. He came back in less than a week. " Did 

 he swim the Tay and Eden," asks Mr. Lang medi- 

 tatively, " or did he travel by rail, changing at 

 Dundee and Leuchars ? " A Flemish cat, living 

 in the country near Malines, outsped twelve car- 

 rier pigeons, traversing eight leagues, crossing the 

 Scheldt, Heaven knows how ! and reaching home 

 well in advance of his winged competitors. 



" Men prize the heartless hound who quits dry-eyed his native 

 land, 

 Who wags a mercenary tail, and licks a tyrant's hand. 



