r, with manly nonchalance. She crouched
before him and pressed herself on the ground in humility, a fluffy soft
outcast, looking up at him with wild eyes that were green and lovely as
great jewels. He looked casually down on her. So she crept a few inches
further, proceeding on her way to the back door, crouching in a
wonderful, soft, self-obliterating manner, and moving like a shadow.

He, going statelily on his slim legs, walked after her, then suddenly,
for pure excess, he gave her a light cuff with his paw on the side of
her face. She ran off a few steps, like a blown leaf along the ground,
then crouched unobtrusively, in submissive, wild patience. The Mino
pretended to take no notice of her. He blinked his eyes superbly at the
landscape. In a minute she drew herself together and moved softly, a
fleecy brown-grey shadow, a few paces forward. She began to quicken her
pace, in a moment she would be gone like a dream, when the young grey
lord sprang before her, and gave her a light handsome cuff. She
subsided at once, submissively.

'She is a wild cat,' said Birkin. 'She has come in from the woods.'

The eyes of the stray cat flared round for a moment, like great green
fires staring at Birkin. Then she had rushed in a soft swift rush, half
way down the garden. There she paused to look round. The Mino turned
his face in pure superiority to his master, and slowly closed his eyes,
standing in statuesque young perfection. The wild cat's round, green,
wondering eyes were staring all the while like uncanny fires. Then
again, like a shadow, she slid towards the kitchen.

In a lovely springing leap, like a wind, the Mino was upon her, and had
boxed her twice, very definitely, with a white, delicate fist. She sank
and slid back, unquestioning. He walked after her, and cuffed her once
or twice, leisurely, with sudden little blows of his magic white paws.

'Now why does he do that?' cried Ursula in indignation.

'They are on intimate terms,' said Birkin.

'And is that why he hits her?'

'Yes,' laughed Birkin, 'I think he wants to make it quite obvious to
her.'

'Isn't it horrid of him!' she cried; and going out into the garden she
called to the Mino:

'Stop it, don't bully. Stop hitting her.'

The stray cat vanished like a swift, invisible shadow. The Mino glanced
at Ursula, then looked from her disdainfully to his master.

'Are you a bully, Mino?' Birkin asked.

The young slim cat looked at him, and slowly narrowe