ront of that and so on until, having cleared the first cat,
it leaped on to its stand where it began to lick itself placidly.
Meanwhile, the penultimate cat had begun the same evolution, and then
the ante-penultimate cat, until all the cats had cleared the front one
and had taken their positions on their stands. The last cat, left alone,
looked round, yawned in the face of the audience, and, turning tail,
regained its stand with the air of unutterable boredom. The audience,
delighted, applauded vehemently. I raised my hands as I clapped them,
trying vainly and foolishly to catch Lola's eye.

At a tap of her whip a white angora and a sleek tabby jumped from
the stands and took up their positions one at each end of a miniature
tight-rope. Lola stuck a tiny Japanese umbrella in the collar of each
and sent them forth on their perilous journey. When they met in the
middle, they spat and caterwauled and argued spitefully. The audience
shrieked. Then by a miracle the cats cleared each other and pursued
their sedate and cautious ways to their respective ends of the rope. The
next act was a team of a dozen rats drawing a tiled chariot driven by
a stolid coal-black cat with green, expressionless eyes, down an aisle
formed by the other cats who sat in solemn contemplation on their tails.
There was no doubt of Lola's success. The tricks were as marvellous
in themselves as their execution was flawless. During the applause I
noticed her eagerly scanning the sea of faces. Her eyes seemed to be
turned in my direction. I waved my handkerchief, and instinct told me
that at last she recognised the point of pink and the flutter of white
as me.

Then the stage was cleared of the gentle cats and the wire cage
containing Hephaestus was pushed forward by Quast. He showed off the
ferocious beast's quality by making it dash itself against the wires,
arch its huge back, and shoot out venomous claws. Lola commanded him
by sign to open the cage. He approached in simulated terror, Hephaestus
uttering blood-curdling howls, and every time he touched the handle of
the door Hephaestus sprang at him like a tiger with the tomcat's
hateful hiss. At last, amid the laughter of the audience (for this was
prearranged business), Quast suddenly refused to obey his mistress any
more, and went and sat on the floor in the corner of the stage. Then
Lola, with a glance of contempt at him for his poltroonery and a glance
of confidence at the audience, opened the cage