Concerning Some Historic Cats 



pride and power, the only one in that select circle 

 who was not obliged to don a wig and robe while act- 

 ing in a judicial capacity. Then there was Bouhaki, 

 the proud Theban cat that used to wear gold ear- 

 rings as he sat at the feet of King Hana, his owner, 

 perhaps, but not his master, and whose reproduction 

 in the tomb of Hana in the Necropolis at Thebes, 

 between his master's feet in a statue, is one of the 

 most ancient reproductions of a cat. And Sainte- 

 Beuve, whose cat used to roam at will over his desk 

 and sit or lie on the precious manuscripts no other 

 person was allowed to touch; it is flattering to know 

 that the great Frenchman and I have one habit in 

 common ; and Miss Repplier owns to it too. " But 

 Sainte-Beuve," says she, "probably had sufficient 

 space reserved for his own comfort and convenience. 

 I have not; and Agrippina's beautifully ringed tail 

 flapping across my copy distracts my attention and 

 imperils the neatness of my penmanship." And 

 even as I write these pages, does the Pretty Lady's 

 daughter Jane lie on my copy and gaze lovingly at 

 me as I work. 



Julian Hawthorne is another writer whose cat is an 

 accompaniment of his working hours. In this con- 

 nection we must not forget M. Brasseur Wirtgen, a 

 student of natural history who writes of his cat : " My 

 habit of reading," he says, " which divided us from 

 each other in our respective thoughts, prejudiced my 

 cat very strongly against my books. Sometimes het 



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