or custom; but Norton drew her on, and the boy was
forgotten in some extraordinary noises she heard; she had heard them as
soon as she entered the door; strange, mingled noises, going up and
down a scale of somewhat powerful, unearthly notes. She asked Norton
what they were?

"The lions, Pink," said Norton, with intense satisfaction. "The lions,
and the rest of the company. Come--here they are."

And having paid his fee, he pushed open a swinging baize door, and they
entered a very long room or gallery, where the sounds became to be sure
very unmistakable. They almost terrified Matilda. So wildly were
mingled growls and cries and low roarings, all in one restless,
confused murmur. The next minute she all but forgot the noise. She was
looking at two superb Bengal tigers, a male and a female, in one large
cage. They were truly superb. Large and lithe, magnificent in port and
action, beautiful in the colour and marking of their smooth hides. But
restless? That is no word strong enough to fit the ceaseless impatient
movement with which the male tiger went from one corner of his iron
cage to the other corner, and back again; changing constantly only to
renew the change. One bound in his native jungle would have carried him
over many times the space, which now he paced eagerly or angrily with a
few confined steps. The tigress meanwhile knew his mood and her wisdom
so well that she took care never to be in his way; and as the cage was
not large enough to allow her mate to turn round in the corner where
she stood, she regularly took a flying leap over his back whenever he
came near that corner. Again and again and again, the one lordly
creature trod from end to end the floor of his prison; and every time,
like a feather, so lightly and gracefully, the huge powerful form of
the other floated over his back and alighted in the other corner.

"Do they keep doing that all the time!" said Matilda, when she had
stood spell-bound before the cage for some minutes.

"It's near feeding time," said Norton. "I suppose they know it and it
makes them worry. Or else know they are hungry; which answers just as
well."

"Poor creatures!" said Matilda. "If that tiger could break his cage,
now, how far do you think he could jump, Norton?"

"I don't know," said Norton. "As far as to you or me, I guess. Or else
over all our heads, to get at that coloured woman."

The woman was sweeping the floor, a little way behind the two talkers,
and heard