oiselle was not there when they arrived;
she was generally out at this hour, the woman of the house said, but
would certainly return before long. Susan, therefore, was left with
Aunt Hannah's note to wait her coming, while Margaretta hastened back at
once. There was no one in the room but Gambetta, who sat stiffly
upright in Monsieur's arm-chair blinking his yellow eyes. Susan went up
to him, scratched his head, and made some friendly advances, but he took
very little notice of her. He evidently kept his "pleasantries," as
Mademoiselle called them, for his friends, and would not waste them on
strangers. How soft and thick his fur was! particularly just at the
neck, where it stood out in a sort of ruff. How would he look in the
new collar, and would it fit him properly? He had such a large neck.
It would surely be a good plan to put the collar on, so that
Mademoiselle might have all the pleasure of a great surprise when she
came in. It was such a splendid idea, and there was so much risk of her
arriving too soon, that Susan's fingers quite trembled with excitement
as she unwrapped the newspaper. As she did so, the little bell tinkled,
and Gambetta looked up in lazy surprise at the noise close to his ears.
"Pretty puss," said Susan coaxingly, and she quickly slipped the collar
over his head and fastened the strap. It fitted beautifully, and though
it gave Gambetta a somewhat constrained air, like that of a gentleman
with too tight a shirt collar, it was certainly very becoming, and made
him look like a cat of dignity and high rank. It was hardly done, and
Susan still stood with clasped hands admiring his appearance, when
Mademoiselle's quick step and quicker chatter were heard on the stairs.
In a moment she hurried in with a neat basket on her arm, and her face
alive with eagerness. She chattered so fast in French and English that
it was some minutes before Susan could present her aunt's note, and when
Mademoiselle had read that, she had still more to say. For in one
breath she was charmed to see Susan, and in the next desolated to hear
that Sophia Jane was ill, and she flew from one subject to the other
with such astonishing rapidity that Susan gave up trying to follow her,
and waited patiently till she should have leisure to notice Gambetta.
And at length he drew attention to himself, for evidently feeling
neglected, he opened his mouth and uttered a tiny plaintive mew.
Mademoiselle looked round at once at he