34 THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA 



HOW I BECAME A NUISANCE 



I was taken home again, and many happy days went by. 

 There was a little boy whom I dearly loved, because he was 

 so noble, so kind, and so good. He went to school. Every 

 morning I would go to the gate and bid him farewell. 

 He always came home at one o'clock for lunch. I soon 

 learned to know the time. I didn't tell it by a clock. There 

 was something inside my head which seemed to tell me 

 what time it was. Anyway, I always went along to the gate 

 and sat on it when it was nearly lunch time, and waited for 

 my chum. When I saw him turn the corner, I always ran 

 to meet him, and climbed on his shoulder. 



I was allowed to have a seat at table, for I was now able 

 to eat solid food. I soon began to feel a restless sort of 

 feeling, and a powerful desire to romp and jump and play. 

 One day I jumped on to what I thought was a soft cushion 

 on a little table in the parlour, where some ladies in beauti- 

 ful dresses were saying unkind things about their absent 

 friends. There was a teapot inside that cushion, and in 

 hastily jumping away, it fell and smashed on the floor, and 

 the hot tea burned a lady's foot. The lady of the house 

 got angry and tried to catch me, so as to give me a good 

 cuffing, I suppose. I screamed and ran away to. hide. 

 Seeing a huge vase nearly as tall as a man, I jumped up on 

 to its rim, thinking to take refuge inside. The wretched 

 thing feU and smashed to bits. My lady sank into a chair, 

 and sobbed and wailed about her Dresden vase which 

 had belonged to her grandfather. I felt so sorry that I 

 went over and tried to soothe her, but she gripped me 

 by the neck and called me a little wretch, a pest and a 

 nuisance. 



