d strokes
the cat, and says, "Poor pussy! poor pussy!"

The cat soon tires of that; he puts up his claw and quietly but firmly
rakes the guest in the leg.

"Ow!" says the guest, "the cat stuck his claws into me!" The delighted
family remarks, "Isn't it sweet of him? Isn't he intelligent? _He wants
you to give him something to eat_."

The guest dares not do what he would like to do--kick the cat through
the window--so, with tears of rage and pain in his eyes, he affects
to be very much amused, and sorts out a bit of fish from his plate and
hands it down. The cat gingerly receives it, with a look in his
eyes that says: "Another time, my friend, you won't be so dull of
comprehension," and purrs maliciously as he retires to a safe distance
from the guest's boot before eating it. A cat isn't a fool--not by a
long way.

When the family has finished tea, and gathers round the fire to enjoy
the hours of indigestion, the cat slouches casually out of the room and
disappears. Life, true life, now begins for him.

He saunters down his own backyard, springs to the top of the fence with
one easy bound, drops lightly down on the other side, trots across the
right-of-way to a vacant allotment, and skips to the roof of an empty
shed. As he goes, he throws off the effeminacy of civilisation; his gait
becomes lithe and pantherlike; he looks quickly and keenly from side to
side, and moves noiselessly, for he has so many enemies--dogs, cabmen
with whips, and small boys with stones.

Arrived on the top of the shed, the cat arches his back, rakes his claws
once or twice through the soft bark of the old roof, wheels round and
stretches himself a few times; just to see that every muscle is in full
working order; then, dropping his head nearly to his paws, he sends
across a league of backyards his call to his kindred--a call to love, or
war, or sport.

Before long they come, gliding, graceful shadows, approaching
circuitously, and halting occasionally to reconnoitre--tortoiseshell,
tabby, and black, all domestic cats, but all transformed for the nonce
into their natural state. No longer are they the hypocritical, meek
creatures who an hour ago were cadging for fish and milk. They are now
ruffling, swaggering blades with a Gascon sense of dignity. Their fights
are grim and determined, and a cat will be clawed to ribbons before he
will yield.

Even young lady cats have this inestimable superiority over human
beings, that they can work o