THE CAT 



Calvin 



I hesitate a little to speak of Calvin's capacity 

 for friendship, and of the affectionateness of his 

 nature, for I know, from his own reserve, that he 

 would not care to have it much talked about. We 

 understood each other perfectly, but we never made 

 any fuss about it. When I spoke his name and 

 snapped my fingers, he came to me ; when I returned 

 home at night he was pretty sure to be waiting for 

 me near the gate, and would rise and saunter along 

 the walk, as if his being there were purely acci- 

 dental, — so shy was he commonly of showing feel- 

 ing; and when I opened the door, he never rushed 

 in like a cat, but loitered and lounged, as if he 

 had had no intention of going in, but would con- 

 descend to. And yet the fact was he knew dinner 

 was ready, and he was bound to be there. He kept 

 the run of dinner-time. It happened sometimes, 

 during our absence in the summer, that dinner 

 would be early, and Calvin, walking about the 

 grounds, missed it, and came in late. But he did 

 not make a mistake the second day. There was one 

 thing he never did, — he never rushed through an 

 open doorway. He never forgot his dignity. If 

 he had asked to have the door opened, and was 

 eager to go out, he always went deliberately. I 



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