e-eyed
way. Of course, she did not understand English, and when they called
"Puss, puss," she only ran under the sofa, for she thought they were
teasing her. She was mistress only of two languages--Persian and
cat-talk.

My master did not think of this. He called her "Puss"; he called her
"Pussy"; he called her "Tittums" and "Pussy then"; and a thousand
endearments that had formerly been lavished on me were vainly showered
on this unresponsive stranger. But when he found she was cold to all of
them, my master sighed.

"Poor thing!" he said; "she is deaf."

I sat by the bright fender, and washed my face, and sleeked my pretty
paws, and looked on. My master gave up taking very much notice of the
new cat. But I had a fear that he might learn Persian or cat-talk, and
make friends with her; so I resolved that the best thing for me would be
a complete change in the Persian's behaviour--such a change as should
make it impossible for her ever to be friends with him again; so I said
to her:

"You wonder that our master looks coldly at you. Perhaps you don't know
that in England a white cat is supposed to mew twenty times longer and
to purr twenty times louder than a cat of any other colour?"

"Oh, thank you so much for telling me," she said gratefully. "I didn't
know. As it happens, I have a very good voice."

And the next time she wanted her milk, she mewed in a voice you could
have heard twenty miles away. Poor master was so astonished that he
nearly dropped the saucer. When she had finished the milk, she jumped
upon his knee, and he began to stroke her. She nearly gave herself a
fit in her efforts to purr loud enough to please him. At first he was
pleased, but when the purring got louder and louder, the poor man put
his hands to his ears and said, "Oh dear! oh dear! this is worse than a
whole hive of bees."

Still he put her down gently, and I congratulated her on having done so
well. She did better. She was an affectionate person, though foolish,
and in her anxiety to do what was expected of a cat of her colour in
England, she practised day and night.

Her purr was already the loudest I have heard from any cat, but she
fancied she could improve her mewing; and she mewed in the garden, she
mewed in the house, she mewed at meals, she mewed at prayers, she mewed
when she was hungry to show that she wanted food, and she mewed when
she had had it to show her gratitude.

"Poor thing," said the master to a friend who ha