My cat, the sacred guest of my old home, Thy sleek electric back now curve for me. Come nestle on my knee and let my fingers roam In the warm glossy fur that clotheth thee. Half closed, now thou hast ended that long yawn, Thine emerald eye, half scornful its caress, Thine emerald eye, gleaming with golden rays That idly kind, yet mocking o’er me plays. Philosopher, old brother, thou hast not known The faithful, noisy friendship of the dog, Yet my heart feels the love that thou hast shown. Thy clear seeing, perhaps ephemeral affection, Contents me; and in thee calm sage I greet Scepticism and meekness, virtues exquisite. [Illustration] FOOTNOTES: [6] To “dance the basket” is the French idiom for the pilfering of the cook. [p133] [Illustration] CHAPTER VI. THE TAMERS. The tamer’s performance is certainly one of those exhibitions which give the most valuable evidence of the superiority of man over animals. Some morose spirits have put forth the lion’s claims to royalty in rivalry to the supremacy of Adam. In the [p134] menagerie the two candidates meet each other. The lion has formidable jaws and claws; the man has only a pair of boots and a whip. Yet it is the lion that obeys! The great feline’s spring through a paper hoop settles the disputed question in favour of humanity. One leaves the theatre with uplifted head and heart swollen with pride. And besides this philosophic satisfaction, a visit to a menagerie is one of the most delightful amusements you can choose. You enter a dark booth, impregnated with a strong odour of carrion. At first the eyes can scarcely distinguish the strange sphinx-like forms extended behind the iron bars of the cages, crouching in dreamy, sleepy attitudes. Suddenly the gas-burner is lighted. Two keepers enter, covered with blood like the headsman’s assistants; they bear a handbarrow laden with great quarters of horseflesh; a third person accompanies them carrying a hook. “The animals are now to be fed,” he cries in a showman’s voice. “The supper consists of more than 600 lbs. of meat. Those persons who wish to see the food distributed are begged to stand a little to the right.” You follow the hook, the barrow, and the people. [Illustration]