"

Thus it came to pass that Ruth never talked much about what interested
her either to her father or to Nurse Smith, and as she had no brothers
and sisters she was obliged to amuse herself with fancied conversations.
Sometimes these were carried on with her dolls, but her chief friend was
a picture which she passed every night on the staircase. It was of a man
in a flat cap and a fur robe, and he had a pointed smooth chin and
narrow eyes, which seemed to follow her slyly on her way. She did not
like him and she did not actually fear him, but she had a feeling that
he listened to what she said, and that she must tell him any news she
had. There was never much except on "Aunt Clarkson's day", as she called
it.

Aunt Clarkson was her father's sister. She lived in the country, and had
many little boys and girls whom Ruth had seldom seen, though she heard a
great deal about them.

Once every month this aunt came up to London for the day, had long
conversations with Nurse, and looked carefully at all Ruth's clothes.

She was a sharp-eyed lady, and her visits made a stir in the house which
was like a cold wind blowing, so that Ruth was glad when they were over,
though her aunt always spoke kindly to her, and said: "Some day you must
come and see your little cousins in the country."

She had said this so often without its having happened, however, that
Ruth had come to look upon it as a mere form of speech--part of Aunt
Clarkson's visit, like saying "How d'ye do?" or "Good-bye."

It was shortly after one of these occasions that quite by chance Ruth
found a new friend, who was better than either the dolls or the man in
the picture, because, though it could not answer her, it was really
alive. She discovered it in this way.

One afternoon she and Nurse Smith had come in from their usual walk, and
were toiling slowly up from the hall to the nursery. The stairs got
steeper at the last flight, and Nurse went more slowly still, and panted
a good deal, for she was stouter than she need have been, though Ruth
would never have dreamed of saying so. Ruth was in front, and she had
nearly reached the top when something came hurrying towards her which
surprised her very much. It was a long, lean, grey cat. It had a guilty
look, as though it knew it had been trespassing, and squeezed itself as
close as it could against the wall as it passed.

"Pretty puss!" said Ruth softly, and put out her hand to stop it.

The cat at once arched