174 • THE FIRESIDE SPHINX 



was my express wish. He has no idea what a 

 selfish, immoral, improper beast she is, nor what 

 mischief she does to the carpets. Kind regards to 

 Mrs. Warren. Yours sincerely, 



Jane Carlyle." 



Poor Pussy ! Poor clean, sad, catless dining-room ! 

 Poor Mrs. Carlyle ! In another year she was dead, 

 and we can hardly fancy her resting unfretted in 

 her grave. But it is pleasant to picture the great 

 historian, whose disagreeable aspects have been put 

 forward so relentlessly for the consideration of the 

 world, feeding his cat with " driblets of milk," 

 and excusing — or denying — the mess she made. 

 There is a touch of Dr. Johnson's human kindness 

 about the simple deed. Had Carlyle been permitted 

 to live on terms of easy intimacy with Columbine 

 or the soot-black kitten, he might have learned from 



" The perfect balance of their ways " 



some useful lessons in philosophy. 



Happily there are other and brighter prospects 

 to consider, even on England's uncongenial soil ; 

 there are other and brighter glimpses into homes 

 which seem to have been made — like Herrick's 

 vicarage — for Pussy's tranquil sway. To under- 

 stand the character of a cat, to respect her independ- 

 ence, to recognize and deplore her pitiless instincts. 



