speak? eh? Now, tell me; don't you think it's a monstrous shame that these two scoundrels, Jack and Ralph, should keep us waiting for our supper so long?"
Here the cat arose, put up its back and stretched itself; yawned slightly, and licked the point of Peterkin's nose!
"Just so, old boy, you're a clever fellow,—I really do believe the brute understands me!" said Peterkin, while a broad grin overspread his face, as he drew back and surveyed the cat.
At this point Jack burst into a loud fit of laughter. The cat uttered an angry fuff and fled, while Peterkin sprang up and exclaimed,—
"Bad luck to you, Jack! you've nearly made the heart jump out of my body, you have."
"Perhaps I have," replied Jack, laughing, as we entered the bower, "but, as I don't intend to keep you or the cat any longer from your supper, I hope that you'll both forgive me."
Peterkin endeavored to turn this affair off with a laugh, but I observed that he blushed very deeply at the time we discovered ourselves, and he did not seem to relish any allusion to the subject afterwards; so we refrained from remarking on it ever after,—though it tickled us not a little at the time.
After supper we retired to rest and to dream of wonderful adventures in our little boat, and distant voyages upon the sea.
