416 FRANCIS TREVELYAN BUCKLAND. 



"The Hag will also steal, but in a more quiet 

 manner. She is especially fond of sardines in oil, 

 and I generally let her steal them, because the oil 

 does her good, though the servants complain of the 

 marks of her oily feet upon the cloth. Sometimes 

 the two make up a stealing party. One morning I 

 was in a particular hurry, having to go away on 

 salmon-inspection duty by train. I left the break- 

 fast things for a moment, and in an instant Tiny 

 snatched up a broiled leg of pheasant and bolted 

 with it carried it under her arm round and round 

 the room, after the fashion of the clown in the 

 pantomime. While I was hunting Tiny for my 

 pheasant, the Hag bolted with the toast ; I could 

 not find, time to catch either of the thieves, and so 

 had to go off without any breakfast. 



" Tiny and the Hag sometimes go out stealing 

 together. They climb up my coat and search all 

 the pockets. I generally carry a great many cedar 

 pencils ; the monkeys take these out and bite off 

 the cut ends. . . . When I come home in the even- 

 ing, tired from a long day's work, I let out the 

 monkeys, and give them some sweet stuff I bring 

 home for them. By their affectionate greeting and 

 amusing tricks they make me forget for a while 

 the anxieties and bothers of a very active life. 

 They know perfectly well when I am busy, and 

 they remain quiet and do not tease me. The Hag 

 sits on the top of my head, and ' looks fleas ' in 

 my hair, while Tiny tears up with her teeth a 

 thick ball of crumpled paper, the nucleus of which 



