After supper, about half-past eight, Auntie May took me in her arms and carried me into a bedroom. A stiff woman was there with a white cap and apron1 on. On the bed, that was very prettily2 trimmed and arranged with painted flowers and real flowers all about it, was Beatrice. She had yellow hair trained all over the pillow, tied up with blue bows, and a great many of them. Her eyes were very wide open and sad. She was a very tall woman, for she stretched a good way under the bedclothes. She put out a wretchedly thin sort of claw to take hold of me—she had seen Auntie May before, just for a minute.
'Oh, you sweet, right, absolutely perfect thing,' she said to me. 'May, how did you know that it was exactly what I wanted?'
All this was so fearfully and wonderfully polite that I made a great effort and conquered my own repugnance3 to an ill person, and flinging mother's mean counsels to the winds, I let her take me in her arms and fold me up quite close to her, almost inside the sheets, and squeeze me till I thought she would drive all the breath out of my body. At any rate, the poor sick thing was happy, and it is a delightful4 feeling to be giving any one pleasure like that. I didn't even squeal5. She was far too weak to do it again, luckily, but lay quite still with her arms slack, letting me lie on her chest, curled up so that it would take me some time to go away. I think They ought to know that if once you get a cat to curl wherever it is you want him to settle, he has accepted the situation, and there is no fear of his running away for the present.
'Will you leave it with me, May, dear? Will it stop alone with me without you, do you think?'
'Oh, it is very young, it hasn't learnt to love me yet!' Auntie May said hastily. 'It will stay with you all right—that is, if nurse permits it.'
'I can't say I approve of cats in the sick-room, Miss,' she said in a low voice while Beatrice was fondling me, 'but for this once—and it seems to have done her so much good, too!'
Auntie May said, 'You see, we are all like that in our family—perfectly mad on cats. It is only because my sister lives in the country, where cats are so apt to go a-hunting and get killed, that she doesn't have the house full of them. You see, I know how she feels, as I am her twin-sister. Now I will go and tell my brother-in-law of the success of his prescription7.'
'Be a good boy, and stay behind willingly, and don't come squealing9 after me the moment the door shuts behind me, or I'll never forgive you, Loki, so just you mind!'
'What are you two mumbling10 together?' asked Beatrice pleasantly. 'I won't have any secrets. I want Loki's undivided allegiance, please.'
So I stayed with Beatrice all night, and the nurse most officiously stayed too. There was a sweet little dancing light on the mantelpiece that I could not take my eyes off, as it flickered11 over the edge of its silver dish. Beatrice never seemed to sleep. The nurse fed her twice—once it was cornflour, for they gave me the remainder of it. The nurse was kind on the whole, but rather contemptuous. I told mother about her afterwards, and mother said nurses always were contemptuous—that is, if they were any good. The coaxing12, sweet-spoken ones never got any authority, and usually were changed in a month.
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 invalids13 she was never surprised at anything. When she was not nursing Beatrice, she sat and made herself stiff white calico aprons14, 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 crooked15 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 helping16 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 dabbed17 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 detested18 being held up to a glass to see him, as Auntie May sometimes chose to do, with great want of tact19. I would not fight him, or even touch him; why should I? His nose was awfully20 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 remains21 of sticky, greasy22 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.'
I wanted a piece of plain lean beef, minced23 for preference, or shredded24, but I knew cooks didn't like setting the mincing-machine in motion 'for a cat!' so I supposed I should not get it, though I knew Auntie May had ordered it for me. It is funny how people, inferior people, think a cat can eat anything. Auntie May always takes in the butcher by not allowing the cook at home to send for 'pieces for cats.' If you mention that it's for a cat, she says, the butcher or the fishmonger always wraps up the meat or fish in newspaper, she has noticed that particularly.
I wished she would go into the kitchen and blow up that cook. She was so bothered about Beatrice that she was not herself, and seemed to have forgotten me, in spite of her loving words when she came across me on the stairs or anywhere.
Beatrice had massage25, and she knew how it was done and she gave me some, which relieved the pain a little. She used to rub my stomach gently for half-an-hour together, and when I at last got well she was firmly persuaded that she had cured me. I knew better. It was Tom.
Tom never took much notice of me, but once when he was leaning over Beatrice's bed she told him that I was not well.
'Poor brute,' said he, 'I should like to know how it could be well! Fed on messes and deprived of exercise! No dog could thrive on a regimen like that, and I suppose a cat is put together something after the same fashion.'
'But,' said Beatrice, 'how can he have exercise, Tom? They tell me that there were two degrees of frost the night before last, and the garden is a mush, and the grass all white with rime26!'
'No matter, that's what he wants. Look at him!'
I had risen and gone across to the window to try to signify to Them that I agreed with Tom, who added, 'The poor little beggar knows what is good for him.'
'It isn't good for him to wet his little silver feet,' said Beatrice.
'I bet you it wouldn't hurt him. Be as good as a Beecham's pill to the little fellow,' said Tom, who was getting quite excited over his idea. I was leaping about, alternately rubbing myself against the window and then against his knee. 'Look here, Beatrice, I'll take him out. I'll take the responsibility.'
'Do what you like, Tom, but whatever you do don't let May catch you.'
'May is in the dark room, developing some photos. Come on, you kid!' He lifted me as nicely as Auntie May could; his hands were enormous, and one of them seemed to swallow me all up, and hiding me under the lapel of his coat, he slunk downstairs with me, chuckling27 all the time. He opened the hall door, carried me across the gravel28, which was soaking, and dropped me on to the lawn.
Wow! but it was wet! I stood a moment undecided, but then I saw that good Tom on the other side of the patch of grass dangling29 something in his hand. My courage came to me and I darted30 across, squelching31 out wet at every step I took. Tom, of course, wasn't at the other end when I got there, but at the place I had just left, still waving the enticing32 thing, whatever it was. I scuttled33 after him, and we played that game three times, and I felt like a new cat. The fourth time he stayed, and let me get hold of the object, which was nothing more than an old leather bit of strap34 that he punished the dogs with, and when I had got my teeth well into it, he caught me up by it and carried me back to Beatrice.
'Here's your precious cat! Now dry his feet and polish them up for all you're worth; put a shine on them, if you can'—he handed her a towel—'and don't leave a wet hair on him.'
I was all right after that. Also the rime went off the grass, and it was rather fine for October, and they got into the way of letting me go out a little regularly. Auntie May protested, and said it had never been done in our family, but Tom assured her it could do me no harm if I was brought in and not allowed to sit about with damp feet. I simply loved Tom, for it was he who cured me far more than the massage, and got me leave to run about in the garden and try to catch things.
I never caught anything, but all sorts of things tried to catch me. Once it was three thrushes that hunted me across the lawn in front of the drawing-room windows, and a strange dog once strayed in, attracted by the sight of me, and I should have had a bad time, only that Beatrice always took care to have a window left open somewhere on all the sides of the house for me to fly in to in case of need.
The house dogs had all been introduced to me and told to leave me alone, and they jolly well obeyed. Beatrice said she never could have believed that they would have tolerated me as they did. They not only tolerated me—I saw to that myself, for I very soon began to lord it over them and take any seat I fancied, even though it had been Peg's or Meg's before—they got to treat me as gentlemen treat ladies, moving out of any nice place when I approached, and never thinking of going out of a room before me. We could not understand each other in the least, and I have often wondered why, since I can understand Beatrice and Auntie May, and all the big ones so well. The dogs make absurd noises and bark, but perhaps it means nothing, and they only think they are talking! Anyway they are not nearly such conversational35 creatures as cats; they often get through a whole day without uttering a sound. Now I can't even enter a room without making a remark, and when anything has happened to me I come in and tell Them, forgetting They can't understand me. Auntie May always listens politely.
'What is all this you are trying to tell me?' she said, when I came in one day full of the adventure of the tame rabbit which had insulted me. Kitty had brought it out on the lawn to be introduced to me and we had just rubbed noses, when it suddenly turned round and tossed up its heels, all over mould, in my face and scuttled off. Ill-bred thing! I tried to tell Them, but it was no use. Rosamond said, 'What is it all about, little talking cat? Auntie May, just listen, he is bubbling away with conversation, and most awfully interested in himself and what has happened to him. I wish I could understand.'
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1
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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2
prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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3
repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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4
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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5
squeal
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| v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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prescription
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| n.处方，开药；指示，规定 | |
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8
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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9
squealing
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 ) | |
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10
mumbling
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的现在分词 ) | |
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11
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
coaxing
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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13
invalids
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| 病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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14
aprons
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| 围裙( apron的名词复数 )； 停机坪，台口（舞台幕前的部份） | |
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15
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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16
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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17
dabbed
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| （用某物）轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 )； 轻而快地擦掉（或抹掉）； 快速擦拭； （用某物）轻而快地涂上（或点上）… | |
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18
detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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20
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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21
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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23
minced
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| v.切碎( mince的过去式和过去分词 )；剁碎；绞碎；用绞肉机绞（食物，尤指肉） | |
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24
shredded
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| shred的过去式和过去分词 | |
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25
massage
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| n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据 | |
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26
rime
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| n.白霜；v.使蒙霜 | |
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27
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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28
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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29
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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30
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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31
squelching
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| v.发吧唧声，发扑哧声( squelch的现在分词 )；制止；压制；遏制 | |
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32
enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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33
scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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34
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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35
conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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