132 THE STORY OF JACKO II. 



herself snugly up, looking like an ermine muff seen from 

 one end. 



Jacko, on the other hand, kept on jumping and 

 scolding away for another quarter of an hour, then finding 

 all his efforts to be useless he retired to a corner opposite 

 Michette's. Being well warmed by all the exercise he had 

 taken, he stayed quiet for a time, but he soon began to 

 feel the cold and to shiver all over. It was then that his 

 eyes fell once more on his friend, so comfortably rolled 

 up in all her warm fur, and his selfish instinct at once 

 prompted the use he could make of her. Quietly he drew 

 near Michette, lay down near her, slipped one arm under 

 her, and passed the other through the opening made by 

 the natural muff which she formed. He then twisted his 

 tail round his neighbour's, and she obligingly drew them 

 both up between her legs, when he seemed quite re- 

 assured as to his future. 



Tony, satisfied with what he had seen through the 

 hole, sent for his housekeeper and desired her to prepare 

 food for Michette every day, besides the carrots, nuts, and 

 potatoes always served up to Jacko. 



The housekeeper duly obeyed orders, and all would 

 have gone well with Michette and Jacko had it not been 

 for the monkey's greediness. From the very first day he 

 noticed that a new dish was served with his two regular 

 meals, one at nine in the morning and the other at five in 

 the afternoon. As for Michette, she at once recognised 

 her accustomed milk pudding in the morning, and meat 

 patty in the evening, and she proceeded to eat each in 

 turn with that dainty deliberation common to all well-bred 

 cats. At first Jacko left her alone ; but one morning, when 

 Michette had left a little of her pudding on the plate, he 

 came up behind her, tasted it, and found it so nice that he 

 quickly cleared the dish. At dinner-time he discovered 

 that the mess of meat was even more palatable, and 

 when he rolled himself comfortably round Michette for 

 the night, he spent some time wondering why he, the son 



