I married early, and was happy to find in my wife a disposition not uncongenial with my own. Observing my pariality for domestic pets, she lost no opportunit of procuring yhose of the most agreeable kind. We had birds, gold fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat.
This latter was a remarkably large and beautiful animal, entirely black, and sagacious to an astonishing degree. In speaking of his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular nothat she was ever serious upon this point - and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than that 11 happens, just now, to be remembered.