_New and Very Agreeable Acquaintances_
When Kashtanka woke up it was already light, and a sound rose from
the street, such as only comes in the day-time. There was not a
soul in the room. Kashtanka stretched, yawned and, cross and
ill-humoured, walked about the room. She sniffed the corners and
the furniture, looked into the passage and found nothing of interest
there. Besides the door that led into the passage there was another
door. After thinking a little Kashtanka scratched on it with both
paws, opened it, and went into the adjoining room. Here on the bed,
covered with a rug, a customer, in whom she recognised the stranger
of yesterday, lay asleep.
"Rrrrr . . ." she growled, but recollecting yesterday's dinner,
wagged her tail, and began sniffing.
She sniffed the stranger's clothes and boots and thought they smelt
of horses. In the bedroom was another door, also closed. Kashtanka
scratched at the door, leaned her chest against it, opened it, and
was instantly aware of a strange and very suspicious smell. Foreseeing
an unpleasant encounter, growling and looking about her, Kashtanka
walked into a little room with a dirty wall-paper and drew back in
alarm. She saw something surprising and terrible. A grey gander
came straight towards her, hissing, with its neck bowed down to the
floor and its wings outspread. Not far from him, on a little mattress,
lay a white tom-cat; seeing Kashtanka, he jumped up, arched his
back, wagged his tail with his hair standing on end and he, too,
hissed at her. The dog was frightened in earnest, but not caring
to betray her alarm, began barking loudly and dashed at the cat . . . .
The cat arched his back more than ever, mewed and gave Kashtanka
a smack on the head with his paw. Kashtanka jumped back, squatted
on all four paws, and craning her nose towards the cat, went off
into loud, shrill barks; meanwhile the gander came up behind and
gave her a painful peck in the back. Kashtanka leapt up and dashed
at the gander.
"What's this?" They heard a loud angry voice, and the stranger came
into the room in his dressing-gown, with a cigar between his teeth.
"What's the meaning of this? To your places!"
He went up to the cat, flicked him on his arched back, and said:
"Fyodor Timofeyitch, what's the meaning of this? Have you got up a
fight? Ah, you old rascal! Lie down!"