THE last week has been an arduous one; I have had to chaperon Pasht.
Pasht has experienced her first proposal. I suppose it is no wonder, considering her age, that she was flattered; but I could wish that she had fixed her affections on anyone less vulgar and under-bred.
This was how I found it out. Pasht had been for many days very eager to go into the garden. One morning we were playing croquet on the lawn, and I paid no attention to the kitten, until suddenly I looked up to see her lying on the path, her long thick hair fluffed out, her sweet mouse-coloured cat’s visage resting on the edge of the grass, her little chin rubbing against it, and her long squirrel tail lazily sweeping and thumping the gravel.
At first I thought it was only flirtatiousness in general, an attempt to captivate the universe atlarge, when lo! out of the laurels opposite to her flashed an ordinary, vulgar, ill-bred, short-haired tabby cat, who stood there for a moment, looked at me and disappeared.
I was very much shocked, picked up Pasht and shut her up in the schoolroom, when she instantly appeared on the window-sill and reproached me loudly. But of course I did not take it seriously, and thought that they would both get over it.
I must explain the position (unfortunate in this respect) of the rooms in which the cats and I live.
It has four large windows looking on the lawn and the laurel bushes—too high for a cat to jump down, but not too high for her to practise littlewiles on the window-sill for the benefit of appreciative spectators below. Just on the left hand of the door is a long window, from which steps go down to the garden, and close by the steps is a largelaurustinus, a most convenient place for ambushes and clandestine meetings. Opposite the schoolroom door, again, there is another door opening on to a back staircase, whence one gets into kitchens, whose windows also give on to the lawn, and are usually open. My bedroom is above the schoolroom.
On the evening when I had abruptly stopped Pasht’s flirtation, a noise arrested my attention as I was going to bed. It was the voice of a cat saying “wwoww.” You know what it means when a cat says that? He is paying compliments. The noise went on and on, round the schoolroom-end of the house, until I went to sleep, but I heard no answer from Pasht.
Pasht was hysterically affectionate when I saw her next morning; she said “a - - - ow,” and clung on to my dress, and climbed up on to my shoulder and refused to leave me, and walked about over my letters when the ink was wet, and flapped her tail into my mouth, and altogether played the fool, and pretended that she had forgotten her vulgarsuitor of the night before and I heard no serenades outside.
But in the middle of the day I suddenly heard from my bedroom an extremely loud voice saying “wwaughwow,” and looking down saw Pasht standing on the window-sill of the schoolroom. I don’t know whether she said it or not, for as soon as she saw me she looked up and took to the more ordinary and ladylike expression of a general desire to go out in the sunshine. Several times in the day I heard it again, but as soon as I lookedround, Pasht turned an innocent face to me and said “miaow.”
In the evening the gentleman began to woo again; I knew it was the suitor this time, as Pasht was safely shut up. I listened at the door of the schoolroom to hear if she was answering, but there was no sound. Sheisa regular flirt.
A party from the house went round the garden with croquet mallets, but with no result.
Next morning it became too clear that Pasht was encouraging her suitor; he rushed away from thelaurestinus bush as I came out, and she was sitting on the window-sill. I took her out for a short time in the garden under strict supervision, but she would do nothing but flop into graceful attitudes on the lawn. I really had not thought it of her.
I took her in again, and argued the point a little.
I told her that she was behaving in a very vulgar and forward manner, and that no nice Tom would respect her. She merely looked up in my face and said “a - - - ow.”
Then I said I would not have made any objection if he had been a gentleman, but he was so exceedingly common and ill-bred.
But she still looked with pathetic topaz eyes, and opened a little pink mouth with a deprecating mew.
I felt much as if, “with a little hoard of maxims,” I was “preaching down a daughter’s heart.”
And what was worse, it did no good. Every time the door was opened, however much Pasht was pretending to be devoted to me, she suddenly found she had urgent business in the kitchen, and flew downstairs; and when I, knowing the nature of the little flirt, did not go down to the kitchen at all, but straight out of the long window on to the lawn and found her there, she looked up with the most innocent face possible,—“Yes; after all, I see you enjoy the sunshine as much as I do.” When, in spite of kicks and struggles, I carried her in, she never once said “wwoww,” but merely gave vent to the emphatic mew which means, “I don’t want to go in.”
I took her an airing in my arms that day, but it was extremely exhausting, and I covered my dress with long hair.
And all that night the cat mewed.
Another exploring party went from the house with shovel and tongs.
I couldn’t stand it any longer. Pasht was sent away to a very strict boarding-school system at the farm.
A week after, when the strange cat had ceased to howl round the house, she came back again; but as soon as the schoolroom door was left ajar, the urgent business in the kitchen claimed her, and Pasht disappeared for many hours.
Poor little Pasht, were you disappointed that no one met you in the garden to flirt with, or wanted to bounce out of the laurel bushes and exhibit his masculine beauty before you? Or, after all, is your little heart as hard as I think it, and do you prefer a nice warm room, a lawn to romp on, someone in whose lap to lie, who will gently ruffle your throat and ears—do you really, deep down in your heart, prefer these beyond all lovers whatever?
Anyhow, when Pasht appeared at the long window, she had a gay, innocent little air on, and she ran in saying, “You see, the fine weatherdidtempt me to stay out rather long,—where is my breakfast?”
Never mind, little Pasht; we will arrange an honourable alliance some day with a gentleman of rank.