otherwise lay me open to. If you
are willing to know farther, and are the animal I take you for, you
will be in waiting tomorrow evening after sunset, at the extremity
of the mews in the cats' quarter of the city."

This missive, written in bold but feminine characters, was without a
signature; and when Fox had retired, with a cunning leer upon his sharp
features, and Bruin was left alone to meditate upon the singularity of
the adventure, that great beast lost himself in conjectures as to the
writer, and figured to his imagination a creature very different, no
doubt, to the being actually in question. His impatience, however, to
get over the interval of time which must elapse ere his curiosity could
be gratified, was sensibly felt by every inmate of the mansion. Nothing
seemed to go right; the soup was tasteless, the viands were overdone,
and the vegetables raw. Never was there so fastidious a bear; the cook
more than once contemplated some rash act; the poor little turnspits
crept into corners with their tails between their legs, fully expecting
to be sacrificed in some moment of wrath; whilst the various
house-servants, pussies of doubtful reputation, seemed to creep about
the place as though they were every moment in dread of being accused of
purloining certain savoury made-dishes, reserved especially for cook's
private friends. Fox, too, the steward and factotum of the
establishment, appeared not to possess his usual sleek and quiet ease,
but, as the evening drew near, got restless and fidgetty, though he
tried to be calm, and even more jocose than usual. He had been absent
half the morning, no one knew for what purpose; not that he ever
condescended to divulge the causes of his movements, but there was a
slyer look in his eyes, and a sharper appearance about his clever,
pointed nose, than ordinarily animated those features.

The hour drew nigh. The sun was going down when the Count von Bruin,
most superbly dressed, sallied forth from his dwelling. His demeanour
was observed and criticised by every domestic in his household, who,
crowding to the windows, watched that great bear go forth,--as he
fancied, to conquer. Fox allowed him to turn the corner; then,
enveloped in a cloak which completely hid his figure, he let himself
out and glided after his master.

Bruin, meanwhile, strutted on till he reached the quarter of the city
inhabited by the descendants of the feline race; and as he had never
befo