Nellie's; she looked up at
me in an inquiring manner, and uttered one of those soft, flute-like
sounds a few times, and then began to pull at the cheeks and ears of the
child. Within a few moments they were like old friends and playmates,
and for nearly an hour they afforded each other great pleasure, at the
end of which time they separated with reluctance. The little Simian
acted as if she was conscious of the sad affliction of the child, but
seemed at perfect ease with her, although she would decline the
tenderest approach of others. She would look at the child's eyes, which
were not disfigured, but lacked expression, and then look up at me as if
to indicate that she was aware that the child was blind, and the little
girl appeared not to be aware that monkeys could bite at all. It was a
beautiful and touching scene, and one in which the lamp of instinct shed
its feeble light on all around.

On the following day, by an accident in which I really had no part,
except that of being present, Nellie escaped from her cage, and climbed
up on a shelf occupied by some bird-cages. As she attempted to climb up,
of course the light wicker cages with their little yellow occupants fell
to the floor by the dozen. I tried to induce her to return or to come to
me, but the falling cages, the cry of the birds, the talking of parrots,
and the scream of other monkeys, frightened poor Nellie almost out of
her wits. Thinking that I was the cause of her trouble, because I was
present, she would scream with fright at my approach. She was not an
exception to that general rule which governs monkeydom, which is to
suspect every one of doing wrong except itself.

I had her removed to my apartment, where I supplied her with bells and
toys, and fed her on the fat of the land; and by this means we slowly
knitted together the broken bones of our friendship once more. But when
once a monkey has grown suspicious of you they never recover entirely
from it, it seems, for in every act thereafter, however slight, you can
readily see that they suspect you of it; but with great care and caution
you can make them almost forget the trouble. While I kept Nellie at my
rooms I made some good records of her speech on the phonograph, and
studied her with special care; but as the province of this work is the
speech of that little race, I must forego the pleasure of telling some
intensely funny things with which she entertained me, excepting so far
as they are releva