108 HAMPSHIRE DAYS 



uttering a series of low, sorrowful sounds, so low indeed 

 that if I had been more than six yards from him they 

 would have been inaudible low, and soft, and musical, 

 and very sad, until he quite melted my heart, and I 

 turned away, leaving him to his vole, feeling as much 

 ashamed of myself as if I had teased a pretty bright- 

 eyed little child by keeping his cake or apple until 

 I had made him cry. 



With regard to these fatal weaknesses in birds, 

 mammals, and reptiles, which we see are confined to 

 certain species, they always strike us as out of the 

 order of nature, or as abnormal, if the word may be 

 used in such a connection. Perhaps it can be properly 

 used. I remember that Herodotus, in his History of 

 Egypt, relates that when a fire broke out in any city in 

 that country, the people did not concern themselves 

 about extinguishing it; their whole anxiety was to 

 prevent the cats from rushing into the flames and 

 destroying themselves. To this end the people would 

 occupy all the approaches to the burning building, 

 forming a cordon, as it were, to keep the cats back; 

 but in spite of all they could do, some of them would 

 get through, and rush into the flames and die. The 

 omniscient learned person may tell me that Herodotus 

 is the Father of Lies, if he likes, and is anxious 

 to say something witty and original; but I believe 

 this story of the cats, since not Herodotus, nor any 

 Egyptian who was his informant, would or could have 

 invented such a tale. Believing it, I can only explain 



