This one didn't mind showing that she thought Beatrice an utter fool
to want to keep a grey kitten with her day and night, but she had seen
so many invalids she was never surprised at anything. When she was not
nursing Beatrice, she sat and made herself stiff white calico aprons,
and broke a needle over every seam. She took me down to Auntie May for
my meals, lifting me very gently, as if I had been a 'case'; but she
hadn't the slightest idea where my bones came, as Auntie May did--I
could tell that from the way she carried me.
I saw _her_ having her meals once. She crooked her little finger
over the handle of the teacup as she drank and stopped between each
mouthful, and when the parlour-maid, who waited on her very crossly,
asked her if she would have another helping of mutton, she answered,
'Thank you, I have sufficient,' and to the same question about her
beer, she replied, 'Not any more, thank you!'
It was while I was in Beatrice's bedroom that I first saw myself in
the glass. I thought it was another cat at first. I kissed it, and its
mouth was very cold. Then I lifted my paw to shake paws with it, as it
seemed so anxious to be friends. It did exactly what I did. This was
unsatisfactory somehow. I got cross, and dabbed at its paw with mine;
and then I got crosser still and dabbed just anywhere all over the
place, and it seemed quite as furious as I was and dabbed too. I should
have gone on for ever if Beatrice hadn't asked what that scratching,
pattering noise was? The nurse answered, 'The cat sees himself in the
glass, Madam,' in the little stiff voice she had.
So that was all, and I was very much hurt at having been made such a
fool of, and what is more, I did not believe it. It _was_ a ghost.
Some cats believe in ghosts, some don't, mother told me. She herself
sees them. I longed to get home again and compare notes with mother.
What I saw may have been the ghost of Great-Uncle Tomyris, whom I am
supposed to resemble. I sometimes went and exposed myself to him again,
but not too often; I had a shy feeling about him. I simply detested
being held up to a glass to see him, as Auntie May sometimes chose to
do, with great want of tact. I would not fight him, or even touch him;
why should I? His nose was awfully cold, and sent a thrill through me,
as of one who comes from another world.
Beatrice got slowly better, and I got ill. They did not feed me right,
but brought me remains of sticky, greasy made dishes with queer
flavours that would disagree with any cat. We like to live very simply,
and I was little more than a kitten. But I _had_ to eat something to
keep body and fur together, and yet what I did eat did not nourish me,
and only did me harm.
'His little stomach is like a drum,' Beatrice said sadly. 'He has got
indigestion. What could you fancy, my pet, my sweet? I wish I could
guess and I would give it you.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account