138 LETTERS TO MARCO xxi 



cold, changeable weather it seems almost a 

 kindness to gather little precocious primroses 

 and scillas and bring them indoors out of the 

 blighting frost ; I have some which my little 

 girl gathered in a mug in the greenhouse, 

 which have been blooming away for more 

 than a week, during which their companions 

 in the garden have nearly perished with the 

 cold. 



We have lately a new pleasure, in the 

 shape of a kitten, added to our establish- 

 ment. Our old house-cat, who is celebrated 

 for his amiability, was rather jealous at first, 

 and resented the kitten's endeavours to play 

 with it ; but as he is too kind to hurt it, he 

 generally utters a whine and leaves the room 

 when the kitten approaches him. 



I have been theorising on the effect of 

 what we call fire in a cat's eyes, I mean when 

 the whole eye assumes that luminous red 

 light which is often noticed ; and I feel pretty 

 sure, from various observations, that cats 

 have either the voluntary or involuntary 



