INTELLIGENCE IN ANIMALS. 185 



the servant girls, who had to cross the space between 

 the house and the wall to open the outer door in the 

 latter, and were thus exposed to wet and cold." The 

 annoyance became so great, that Mr. Layard and a 

 cousin watched behind the trees on "Jesus piece/' 

 armed with stout ash saplings, wherewith to administer 

 a sound thrashing to the ringer, whomsoever he might 

 be. But though the rings continued, no one pulled 

 the handle. Hence the theory of ghosts was naturally 

 suggested, but Mr. Layard, having brains, rejected 

 that interpretation. At length chance cleared up the 

 mystery. " Being ill," he says, " I was confined to 

 the wing facing the trellis, and one miserable, blowing, 

 wet day, gazing disconsolately out of the window, 

 espied my favourite cat a singularly intelligent 

 animal, much petted coming along the path, wet, 

 draggle-tailed, and miserable. Pussy marched up to 

 the house-door, sniffed at it, pushed it, mewed, but, 

 finding it fairly shut, clambered up to the top of the 

 trellis, some eight or ten feet from the ground, reached 

 a paw over the edge, scratched till she found the bell- 

 wire which ran along the upper rail from the wall to 

 the house, caught hold of it, gave it a hearty pull, 

 then jumped down, and waited demurely at the dooi\ 

 Out came the maid; in rushed puss. The former, 

 after gazing vaguely up and down the street, returned, 

 muttering f blessings,' no doubt, on the ghost, to be 

 confronted by me in the hall. * Well, Lydia, I have 

 at last found out who rings the bell/ ' Lard, master, 

 ye haven't, surely' she was broad Zumerzetsheer. 



