THE CAT 



The Two Cats 



The spring was clear and beautiful, the air loud 

 with the song of birds, and to Moumoutte Chinoise, 

 reared in suffocating darkness, the bright sunshine, 

 the soft winds, and the presence of other cats were 

 both a mystery and a delight. She explored the 

 garden from end to end, smelling the young blades 

 of grass, and the tiny leaves that came shooting up 

 from the warm earth. All that was so familiar to 

 us was to her new and strange; and Moumoutte 

 Blanche, once the sole ruler of this lovely place, 

 shared with her its endless wonders. 



The borders of the miniature lake pleased la 

 Chinoise best of all. She picked her careful way 

 through the grass, which grew taller day by day; 

 she crawled on her belly, as though tracking down 

 her quarry; she hid behind the lilliputian rocks, 

 and crouched under the ivy, for all the world like 

 a little tiger in a jungle. I amused myself by 

 watching her slow progress, her frequent pauses, 

 her bewilderment; and, whenever she caught me 

 looking at her, she turned and faced me, immovable 

 as a statue, with one paw delicately held in air. 

 Her droll yellow eyes fixed upon my face said as 

 plainly as words could do : " You will permit me 

 to continue my stroll? See how lightly and care- 



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