sked, thinking it better to humor him, for I was
convinced that he was mad.

"'I know why cats bite.'

"This was startling. I hadn't an idea what to say.

"'I know why,' he repeated; 'can you guess why?' There was a covert
tone of triumph in his voice and he smiled encouragement. 'Come, try
and guess,' he urged.

"I told him that I was unequal to problems.

"'Listen, young man,' he continued, folding his coat-tails closely
about his legs--'try to reason it out: why should cats bite? Don't you
know? I do.'

"He looked at me anxiously.

"'You take no interest in this problem?' he demanded.

"'Oh yes.'

"'Then why do you not ask me why?' he said, looking vaguely
disappointed.

"'Well,' I said, in desperation, 'why do cats bite?--hang it all!' I
thought, 'it's like a burned-cork show, and I'm Mr. Bones and he's
Tambo!'

"Then he smiled gently. 'Young man,' he said, 'cats bite because they
feed on catnip. I have reasoned it out.'

"I stared at him in blank astonishment. Was this benevolent-looking
old party poking fun at me? Was he paying me up for the morning's
snub? Was he a malignant and revengeful old party, or was he merely
feeble-minded? Who might he be? What was he doing here in
Antwerp--what was he doing now?--for the bald one had turned
familiarly to the beautiful girl in white.

"'Wilhelmina,' he said, 'do you feel chilly?' The girl shook her head.

"'Not in the least, papa.'

"'Her father!' I thought--'her father!' Thank God she did not say
'popper'!

"'I have been to the Zoo to-day,' announced the bald one, turning
towards me.

"'Ah, indeed,' I observed; 'er--I trust you enjoyed it.'

"'I have been contemplating the apes,' he continued, dreamily. 'Yes,
contemplating the apes.'

"I tried to look interested.

"'Yes, the apes,' he murmured, fixing his mild eyes on me. Then he
leaned towards me confidentially and whispered, 'Can you tell me what
a monkey thinks?'

"'I cannot,' I replied, sharply.

"'Ah,' he sighed, sinking back in his chair, and patting the slender
hand of the girl beside him--'ah, who can tell what a monkey thinks?'
His gentle face lulled my suspicions, and I replied, very gravely:

"'Who can tell whether they think at all?'

"'True, true! Who can tell whether they think at all; and if they do
think, ah! who can tell what they think?'

"'But,' I began, 'if you can't tell whether they think at all, what's
the use of trying to conjecture what they _would_ think if t