GRIMALKIN THE CAT 167 
her side imploring her with all feline caresses to 
accompany him. He could not understand the 
ties of custom which bound her to her human 
friends. He had broken them long ago when a 
kitten, and was now as truly wild as any of the Fur 
Folk in Knockdane. But Zoe and her parents 
before her had lived by the fireside and eaten 
men's food, and it was more difficult for them to 
hear the call of the woods. 
Once for three days she stayed at home ; but on 
the third evening she looked down the field, and 
saw Grimalkin waiting. A little cry rose in her 
throat ; she dropped out of the window and ran 
to him. 
They hunted together until the long sunbeams 
were cut off by the hill, and the dew began to fall. 
A score of blackbirds piped in Knockdane, and a 
corncrake rasped in the meadow. The darkness 
fell, and the night peoples the badgers, bats, and 
owls came out. When the night was half gone, 
Zoe's instinct to return to her human friends 
awoke, but she was tired, and Grimalkin's presence 
was very dear to her. She felt drawn two ways. 
Instinct bade her remain in the woods ; custom, 
parent of instinct, commanded her to return home. 
The shadows under the oak trees were full of the 
mysterious sights and sounds of the night. A 
