140 
GRIMALKIN THE CAT 
minute he was peeping out again, staring with all his 
eyes, and no wonder, for, for the first time in his life, 
Grimalkin was witnessing the death-game which 
the cat kind play over their ' kill.' At last the 
little grey beast would run away no more, but lay 
still, gasping ; and even when its captor pushed it 
with his paw it did not try to escape. The black 
cat stood up and yawned the sport was over. 
Had it been a rat or a mouse he would have killed 
it outright and then feasted but a shrew ! Sir 
Charles was an old hunter, but since the long-gone 
day when he struck down his first rabbit, he had 
never tasted a shrew. He strolled away and left 
it where it lay. No sooner was his back turned 
than Grimalkin slipped across the yard and ap- 
proached circumspectly. For him so far the animal 
kingdom had consisted of three divisions only : 
cats, men, and cockroaches. Evidently this was a 
fourth species, for, although not very much larger 
than a cockroach, instead of being rust coloured it 
was grey, and its coat was furry like his own. 
He touched it stealthily with his paw, but it did 
not move. Grimalkin was disappointed. He had 
liked to see it run about and struggle, and now it 
was so still ; nevertheless there was something 
mysteriously alluring about it, and all unconsciously 
he began to leap and gambol round it even as the 
