garet's. At
first, its tones were tones of fury; they were afterwards broken by
hysterical sobs.

"Poor thing," continued the servant, soothingly, "I'm sorry for it, and
for you too, Miss! But, oh! do please to remember it was you left the
cage on the table, in the cat's reach--"

"Hold your tongue, you wretch! How dare you hold me?--let me go!"

"Oh, you mustn't--you mustn't indeed! It's missus's cat, recollect--poor
missus's, who's always ill, and hasn't got nothing else to amuse her."

"I don't care! The cat has killed my bird, and the cat shall be killed
for doing it!--it shall!--it shall!!--it shall!!! I'll call in the first
boy from the street to catch it, and hang it! Let me go! I _will_ go!"

"I'll let the cat go first, Miss, as sure as my name's Susan!"

The next instant, the door was suddenly opened, and puss sprang past
me, out of harm's way, closely followed by the servant, who stared
breathless and aghast at seeing me in the hall. I went into the
dining-room immediately.

On the floor lay a bird-cage, with the poor canary dead inside (it was
the same canary that I had seen my wife playing with, on the evening of
the day when I first met her). The bird's head had been nearly dragged
through the bent wires of the cage, by the murderous claws of the cat.
Near the fire-place, with the poker she had just dropped on the floor by
her side, stood Margaret. Never had I seen her look so beautiful as
she now appeared, in the fury of passion which possessed her. Her
large black eyes were flashing grandly through her tears--the blood was
glowing crimson in her cheeks--her lips were parted as she gasped for
breath. One of her hands was clenched, and rested on the mantel-piece;
the other was pressed tight over her bosom, with the fingers
convulsively clasping her dress. Grieved as I was at the paroxysm of
passion into which she had allowed herself to be betrayed, I could not
repress an involuntary feeling of admiration when my eyes first rested
on her. Even anger itself looked lovely in that lovely face!

She never moved when she saw me. As I approached her, she dropped down
on her knees by the cage, sobbing with frightful violence, and pouring
forth a perfect torrent of ejaculations of vengeance against the cat.
Mrs. Sherwin came down; and by her total want of tact and presence
of mind, made matters worse. In brief, the scene ended by a fit of
hysterics.

To speak to Margaret on that day, as I wished to speak t