IV. CATS. 



One evening before dinner-time the present writer had 

 occasion to go into a dining-room where the cloth was 

 already laid, the glasses all in their places on the sideboard 

 and table, and the lamp and candles lighted. A cat, 

 which was a favourite in the house, finding the door ajar, 

 entered softly after me, and began to make a little explora- 

 tion after his manner. I have a fancy for watching 

 animals when they think they are not observed, so I 

 affected to be entirely absorbed in the occupation which 

 detained me there, but took note of the cat's proceedings 

 without in any way interrupting them. The first thing he 

 did was to jump upon a chair, and thence upon the side- 

 board. There was a good deal of glass and plate upon 

 that piece of furniture, but nothing as yet which, in the 

 cat's opinion, was worth purloining : so he brought all his 

 paws together on the very edge of the board, the two fore- 

 paws in the middle, the others on both sides, and sat 

 balancing himself in that attitude for a minute or two, 

 whilst he contemplated the long glittering vista of the 

 table. As yet there was not an atom of anything eatable 

 upon it, but the cat probably thought he might as well as- 

 certain whether this were so or not by a closer inspection, 

 for with a single spring he cleared the abyss and ahghted 

 noiselessly on the table-cloth. He walked all over it and 

 left no trace ; he passed amongst the slender glasses, frag- 

 ile-stemmed, like air-bubbles cut in half and balanced on 

 spears of ice; yet he disturbed nothing, broke nothing, 



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