oo is the largest mammal of Australia. It is generally a
peace-loving animal, but bites, scratches, and claws if it is
teased. Its best defence however is flight." All these technical
details left the good woman cold. What she remembered best were
the practical qualities of the creatures. The kangaroo has one
very great peculiarity, the female has a pouch, a sort of bag, in
which she hides her young if danger appears, just as the soldier
has his knapsack.

For the first time in her life Mother Etienne was much struck
By certain resemblances between animals and human beings,
finding in them actions, looks, and habits which reminded her
irresistibly of many of her acquaintances. It was amongst the
monkeys that it was the most marked. Two chimpanzees, with pensive
faces garbed in black, seemed to be mourning some beloved
relative. It was as though their sad but shining eyes, gazing at
the straw which half-covered them, were seeking something hidden,
intangible.

A family of big African monkeys, by their challenging, crafty air,
reminded her unpleasantly of a band of good-for-nothings who for
months had spread terror and desolation throughout the country.
The chief--or the one who appeared to be the chief--the biggest
and strongest, hurled himself at the bars and shook them in his
clenched hands. He would certainly have enjoyed strangling Mother
Etienne, had he been able to do so. Since he was not able to, he
displayed in a huge yawn, a terrifying set of teeth, worthy of a
wild beast. They were horrid animals, I assure you, not the kind
you would like to meet loose on a lonely road.

Fortunately some pretty little witsits, with black faces, no
bigger than your fist, and white and grey ruffles, whistling like
blackbirds, by their pretty tricks did away with the bad
impression made by these sinister neighbours.

[Illustration: Cake Walk; Mother Etienne's dream.]

This one was a regular little mother, that one had just been
sweeping out the yard, another was the living image of the Count's
servant when he followed his master on his walks, carrying under
his arm a shawl or a sunshade. An orang-outang, an elderly
peasant, whose four big hands were clasped, suggested to her how
useful it would be to have a helper like that to milk the cows. It
would go twice as fast with four hands. What a lot of precious
time it would save.

And many other queer things came into her head. That yowling dog,
that sharp-faced rabbit, are