onquered the gathering anger, and added, like the man of the world he
justly plumed himself on being--in a voice gentle as a dying howl,
"What 'fraid on? come in, there's good fellow, want to speak to ye. Come
do--a-u-g-h!" the last sound being prolonged into one of unutterable
coaxingness, and accompanied with a beck of the hand and a wheedling
wink.

These allurements the good Peter could not resist--he clambered the
stile, and seated himself on the bench beside the Corporal.

"There now, fine fellow, fit for the forty-second;" said Bunting,
clapping him on the back. "Well, and--a--nd--a beautiful cat, isn't
her?"

"Ah!" said Peter very shortly--for though a remarkably mild man, Peter
did not love cats: moreover, we must now inform the reader, that the
cat of Jacob Bunting was one more feared than respected throughout the
village. The Corporal was a cunning teacher of all animals: he
could learn goldfinches the use of the musket; dogs, the art of the
broadsword; horses, to dance hornpipes and pick pockets; and he
had relieved the ennui of his solitary moments by imparting sundry
accomplishments to the ductile genius of his cat. Under his tuition,
Puss had learned to fetch and carry; to turn over head and tail, like a
tumbler; to run up your shoulder when you least expected it; to fly, as
if she were mad, at any one upon whom the Corporal thought fit to set
her; and, above all, to rob larders, shelves, and tables, and bring the
produce to the Corporal, who never failed to consider such stray waifs
lawful manorial acquisitions. These little feline cultivations of
talent, however delightful to the Corporal, and creditable to his powers
of teaching the young idea how to shoot, had nevertheless, since the
truth must be told, rendered the Corporal's cat a proverb and byeword
throughout the neighbourhood. Never was cat in such bad odour: and the
dislike in which it was held was wonderfully increased by terror;
for the creature was singularly large and robust, and withal of so
courageous a temper, that if you attempted to resist its invasion of
your property, it forthwith set up its back, put down its ears, opened
its mouth, and bade you fully comprehend that what it feloniously seized
it could gallantly defend. More than one gossip in the village had this
notable cat hurried into premature parturition, as, on descending at
day-break into her kitchen, the dame would descry the animal perched on
the dresser, having entered,