When you see Pussy seated by the fireside, blinking her eyes, and
looking very wise, you may often ask, "I wonder what she can be thinking
about." Just then, probably, she is thinking about nothing at all; but
if you were to turn her out of doors into the cold, and shut the door in
her face, she would instantly begin to think, "How can I best get in
again?" And she would run round and round the house, trying to find a
door or window open by which she might re-enter it.
I once heard of a cat which exerted a considerable amount of reason
under these very circumstances. I am not quite certain of this Pussy's
name, but it may possibly have been Deborah. The house where Deborah
was born and bred is situated in the country, and there is a door with a
small porch opening on a flower-garden. Very often when this door was
shut, Deborah, or little Deb, as she may have been called, was left
outside; and on such occasions she used to mew as loudly as she could to
beg for admittance. Occasionally she was not heard; but instead of
running away, and trying to find some other home, she used--wise little
creature that she was!--patiently to ensconce herself in a corner of the
window-sill, and wait till some person came to the house, who, on
knocking at the door, found immediate attention. Many a day, no doubt,
little Deb sat there on the window-sill and watched this proceeding,
gazing at the knocker, and wondering what it had to do with getting the
door open.
A month passed away, and little Deb grew from a kitten into a full-sized
cat. Many a weary hour was passed in her corner. At length Deb arrived
at the conclusion that if she could manage to make the knocker sound a
rap-a-tap-tap on the door, the noise would summon the servant, and she
would gain admittance as well as the guests who came to the house.
One day Deb had been shut out, when Mary, the maidservant, who was
sitting industriously stitching away, heard a rap-a-tap at the front
door, announcing the arrival, as she supposed, of a visitor. Putting
down her work, she hurried to the door and lifted the latch; but no one
was there except Deb, who at that moment leaped off the window-sill and
entered the house. Mary looked along the road, up and down on either
side, thinking that some person must have knocked and gone away; but no
one was in sight.
The following day the same thing happened, but it occurred several times
before any one suspected that Deb could possibly have lifted the
knocker. At length Mary told her mistress what she suspected, and one
of the family hid in the shrubbery to watch Deb's proceedings. Deb was
allowed to ran out in the garden, and the door was closed. After a time
the little creature was seen to climb up on the window-sill, and then to
rear herself on her hind-feet, in an oblique position at the full
stretch of her body, when, steadying herself with one front paw, with
the other she raised the knocker; and Mary, who was on the watch,
instantly ran to the door and let her in.
Miss Deb's knock now became as well-known to the servant as that of any
other member of the family, and, no doubt to her great satisfaction, it
usually met with prompt attention.
Could the celebrated cat of the renowned Marquis of Carrabas have done
more, or better? Not only must Deb have exercised reason and
reflection, as well as imitation, but a considerable amount of
perseverance; for probably she made many vain attempts before she was
rewarded with success.
Some Scotch ladies told me of a cat they had when young, brought by
their grandfather from Archangel, which, under the same circumstances,
used to reach up to the latch of the front door of a house in the
country, and to rattle away on it till admitted. I have seen a cat
which the same ladies now possess make a similar attempt.
Does it not occur to you that you may take a useful lesson from little
Pussy, and when you have an object to gain, a task to perform, think
over the matter, and exert yourself to the utmost till you have
accomplished it?