Senor Don Tomas Ricardo, the husband of the Lady Puss whose Kitten
I had been the means of saving, was one of the richest, and perhaps
the noblest, Cats of all our tribe, residing in Norsarque.
He was very indignant when he heard from his Lady how nearly the darling
of his family had been killed through the rudeness of a Bear, and he
curled his whiskers and waved his tail in the excess of his anger.
He did more than this; he went out among his friends, and, calling
together a meeting of Cats, who were very numerous in the city, he made,
as I heard, a speech which produced an immense effect upon them.
He commenced by saying that the Cat tribe was known (among themselves)
to be the most ancient, the most noble, the most virtuous, the most
courageous, and the most clever of all the animals who lived upon the
face of the earth. (This was received with loud mews of satisfaction;
and one enthusiastic Tom called out, "Cats for ever!") He then began to
compare our race with other beasts generally, and, saying a good deal in
favour of the Dogs, for a reason which will presently appear, yet still
placing Cats in the first rank of created things, he went on to speak of
Bears. Encouraged by the groans, which the mention of such disagreeable
beasts occasioned, he boldly inveighed against the conduct of _the_ Bear,
then upon the throne; spoke of his favouritism in encouraging into the
city so many of his tribe, and asked the meeting, in an injured tone,
how they would feel when an entire army of these monstrous animals
should march in and live upon the best of the land, while they, the
Cats, would starve for want of the necessaries of life. (Of course
the audience declared they should not like it at all, and uttered the
most discordant cries to prove their assertion, amid which the same
enthusiastic Tom exclaimed, "Down with the Bears!") His hearers being
thus prepared to receive the most favourable accounts of the doings of
Cats, and the most atrocious histories of the actions of Bears, Senor
Don Tomas Ricardo proceeded at once to the adventure of the morning,
in which his Kitten had nearly been brought to an untimely end, and,
although the mishap was quite as much due to the carelessness of the
nurse as to the rudeness of the master of the band, he worked up such a
wonderful picture, that the audience, thrilled with horror, soon after
separated, with a determination to bear the tyranny of the Ursine
Dynasty no longer.
I cannot tell what machinery was put in operation to produce the effects
which shortly after ensued; but I suppose, in a place where beasts are
fond of change and have very little to do, it is not difficult to get
them to do mischief. It is certain that an alliance was formed between
the Cats and Dogs of the city, who outnumbered together the rest of the
inhabitants, and one fine day, about a week after the meeting just
described, there was a revolution in Norsarque; the Bears who could not
escape were torn to pieces by the enraged rebels, and after some hours'
fighting, peace was restored, and Senor Don Tomas Ricardo was elected
King! Cats were appointed with Dogs to fill different offices of State,
and all animals of these races were, as it is easy to imagine, in very
high favour.
The change was a very important one to me. I had been on most friendly
terms with Senora Dona Ricardo ever since my saving her Kitten; and when
her husband was appointed to his elevated dignity, and she herself
became Queen, Her Majesty did not forget her former companions, but
offered me the post of Puss of Honour!
Behold me now, from the wild little creature, robbing birds' nests and
hunting rats, raised to the high dignity of attendant on a Queen! It is
true, I was rather mortified to think that my elevation was due more
to a mere combination of circumstances than to any merit of my own; but
I consoled myself with the reflection that mine was not a solitary
example, and that if we animals refused to enjoy the goods of fortune
when they were thrown in our way, because we did not happen exactly to
deserve them, there would be very few beasts who could enjoy anything
at all.
His Majesty Don Tomas was ambitious of renown; and no sooner found
himself upon the throne, than he proceeded to make a great many changes
and reforms, which, though certainly very necessary, were far from
pleasing to his subjects.
Her Majesty Dona Tomas was ambitious, too, but _her_ reforms produced a
very contrary effect; for as they referred to the dress of the female
sex, which she laboured to make as showy and attractive as possible,
every alteration was received with enthusiasm, and the more frequent
the changes, the greater they were liked. She spent whole days in
considering the propriety of long and short waists; she had many
sleepless nights in thinking over some new fashion for a cloak; and the
quantity of bonnets she spoiled before she got one to her mind, would
have covered the heads of half the female inhabitants of Norsarque. The
one she selected at last, curiously enough, did not cover the head at
all, but sticking up in a very pretty way at the back of the neck,
allowed the whole head to be visible. It was natural enough that the
young Pussies, who had pretty faces and glossy hair, should think a
fashion--which permitted them to show both to the admiring gaze of
passers-by--a most delightful one; but it seemed strange to me at first
that the old and ugly Cats should adopt it so eagerly. On thinking a
second time, however, my surprise vanished; for, in the first place,
you never could convince a Cat that she was _not_ pretty or graceful or
attractive in some way; and secondly, no female Cat ever seemed to know
when she was old.
These were some of the brilliant days of my existence; but, alas! the
most brilliant are always those which fade away the quickest. I said
that the reforms of His Majesty were not received with the same pleasure
as those carried out by the Queen. He had the good sense to observe that
they were not liked; but was too proud to withdraw them when he had once
declared that they should be carried through. Discontent increased
daily,--a feeling said to be fomented by the Dogs, who were more
dissatisfied than the rest, because, I suppose, they had received
more;--murmurs were soon heard throughout the city; and another fine
day, with the same rapidity which had marked the fall of the Bears and
the elevation of the Cats, saw the Cats overthrown in their turn, and
the Dogs,--those ungrateful Dogs!--raised in their place.
The same confusion occurred on this occasion as happened previously. His
Majesty Don Tomas Ricardo was strangled by a Cur, as he was escaping
from the Palace; Her Majesty fled no one knew whither. The household ran
off in every direction, and I took to flight with the rest. Fortunately
_Snubbini_--who was a great favourite with everybody and had some
friends among the dominant party--saved me from either violence or
insult, and I was able to remain shut up in my own apartment until
things were once more settled, and calm was restored.
When that event did occur, I resolved in my own mind to depart from
Norsarque, and take my way back to the city of my birth, which I now
felt a strong inclination to see again. The proposal seemed no less
delightful to my faithful valet than it was agreeable to myself; but how
far the thought of the effect which our fine clothes and foreign habits
was to produce upon the good beasts of Caneville mixed itself up with
our wish to return to our native country, I leave to the charitable to
determine.
It was with a very different train that I took my departure from
Norsarque to that with which I had entered it. Then _Snub_, with a
single box upon his head, was my solitary attendant and my only luggage;
now _Snub_, converted into _Snubbini_, my servant, multiplied by four,
and my trunk by five, made no despicable figure. We carried with us all
the necessaries for lodging at night and for refreshment during the day;
and passing on by easy journeys, we arrived, in about three weeks, at
Caneville.
How delightful did each well-known spot appear to me as I drew near and
recognized its familiar feature! how fondly did I gaze upon each hill,
each tree, which I had visited and loved in earlier days! with what a
mixed feeling of gratitude, of pain, and pleasure, did I recline upon
the soft grass, and, gazing on the city, pass in review the scenes and
events which had occurred there, and in which I had been an actress!
I have known many pleasures in the course of my life, but I count the
return to one's country, after a long absence, as one of the purest
and most satisfactory. I am not aware if the having left it with the
shame of crime could destroy this delight; but I, who left mine with
the feeling of disappointment and vexation, felt that _it_, at least,
had no power to make my pleasure less; for the first few days of my
return--during which I visited every old haunt, and every spot to which
was attached a recollection--were perfectly happy.
[Illustration: A VERY FINE CAT.]
Age creeps upon us all imperceptibly, and we are long before we can
bring ourselves to _confess_ that we are growing old: even when we _say_
so, we flatter ourselves that we are yet strong and hearty, and have
many years in store to live before we reach our resting-place. We may
however generally discover we are no longer young by comparing the
different effects produced on us by the same events at various periods
of our existence; and if we find that we cease to attribute to them the
same consequence with which we once invested them, we shall not be far
wrong in looking upon our change of opinion as one of the proofs of
our first youth being over. As I write these Memoirs, I cannot forbear
smiling at many things to which, at the time they were acting, I
attached a vast deal of importance. I remember, as if it were only
yesterday, my first entrance into the streets of Caneville after my long
absence abroad. I recollect, with wonderful accuracy, my having selected
my most showy dress, my most fashionable mantle, my most delightful
bonnet, with which to astonish the weak minds of the inhabitants of my
native city. I remember glancing round with pride at Snubbini, who had
put on his richest suit of livery, and who was strutting along with
his gold-headed staff under his arm, and his nose straight before him.
I remember, too, the satisfaction I experienced when, on drawing near
my house, one of my former neighbours, who was reputed the richest and
proudest Cat of the quarter, drew aside to let me pass, and made me
a profound bow as I swept by!
I think I have learnt to be wiser since that time, and to appreciate
things as they _are_, not by what they _seem_. It is long before vanity
can be eradicated from the heart; but I do believe I managed to root out
some of mine before my pretensions to youth and beauty were entirely
departed. Solitary thought and study, stolen from the gaieties of the
world, have taught me great truths; they have proved to me the more
vividly the goodness of my deceased cousin, and the wisdom of her
counsels. I have again aimed at being _useful_ to my fellow-creatures;
and although I have often failed, I have sometimes succeeded, and one
success, in such a pursuit, outweighs a thousand failures. If I can only
impress this truth upon _one_ out of, I hope, my many readers, there may
be some good even in a Cat's Tale.