The Kitchen Cat, and other Tales | Page 8

that he would have any thoughts to spare for such a
small thing as the kitchen cat; but still there was just a faint chance that
he would understand better than Nurse and Aunt Clarkson. So she
waited with patience, listening anxiously for his knock and the slam of
the hall door, and at last, just as Nurse was getting the tea ready, it
came. Her heart beat fast. Soon there was a hurried step on the stairs,
and her father entered the room. Ruth studied his face earnestly. Was
he tired? Was he worried? Would he stay long enough to hear the
important question?
He kissed her and sat down near her.
"How is Miss Ruth to-day?" he said rather wearily to Nurse.
Standing stiffly erect behind Ruth's chair, Nurse Smith repeated all that
the doctor and Mrs Clarkson had said.

"And I think myself, sir," she added, "that Miss Ruth will be all the
better of a cheerful change. She worrits herself with fancies."
Ruth looked earnestly up at her father's face, but said nothing.
"Worries herself?" repeated Mr Lorimer, with a puzzled frown. "What
can she have to worry about? Is there anything you want, my dear?" he
said, taking hold of Ruth's little hot hand and bending over her.
The moment had come. Ruth gathered all her courage, sat upright, and
fixing an entreating gaze upon him said:
"I want to see my best friend."
"Your best friend, eh?" he answered, smiling as if it were a very slight
affair. "One of your little cousins, I suppose? Well, you're going to
Summerford, you know, and then you'll see them all. I forget their
names. Tommie, Mary, Carry, which is it?"
Ruth gave a hopeless little sigh. She was so tired of these cousins.
"It's none of them," she said shaking her head. "I don't want any of
them."
"Who is it, then?"
"It's the kitchen cat."
Mr Lorimer started back with surprise at the unexpected words.
"The kitchen cat!" he repeated, looking distractedly at Nurse. "Her best
friend! What does the child mean?"
"Miss Ruth has fancies, sir," she began with a superior smile. But she
did not get far, for at that word Ruth started to her feet in desperation.
"It isn't a fancy!" she cried; "it's a real cat. I know it very well and it
knows me. And I do want to see it so. Please let it come."

The last words broke off in a sob.
Mr Lorimer lifted her gently on to his knee.
"Where is this cat?" he said, turning to Nurse with such a frown that
Ruth thought he must be angry. "Why hasn't Miss Ruth had it before if
she wanted it?"
"Well, I believe there is a cat somewhere below, sir," she replied in an
injured tone; "but I'd no idea, I'm sure, that Miss Ruth was worritting
after it. To the best of my knowledge she's only seen it once. She's so
fond of making believe that it's hard to tell when she is in earnest. I
thought it was a kind of a fancy she got in her head when she was ill."
"Fetch it here at once, if you please."
Nurse hesitated.
"It's hardly a fit pet for Miss Ruth, sir."
"At once, if you please," repeated Mr Lorimer. And Nurse went.
Ruth listened to this with her breath held, almost frightened at her own
success. Not only was the kitchen cat to be admitted, but it was to be
brought by the very hands of Nurse herself. It was wonderful--almost
too wonderful to be true.
And now it seemed that her father wished to know how the kitchen cat
had become her best friend. He was very much interested in it, and she
thought his face looked quite different while he listened to her to what
it looked when he was reading his papers downstairs. Finding that he
asked sensible questions, and did not once say anything about "fancies",
she was encouraged to tell him more and more, and at last leant her
head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. It would be all right now. She
had found someone at last who understood.
The entrance of the kitchen cat shortly afterwards was neither dignified
nor comfortable, for it appeared dangling at the end of Nurse's

outstretched arm, held by the neck as far as possible from her own
person. When it was first put down it was terrified at its new
surroundings, and it was a little painful to find that it wanted to rush
downstairs again at once, in spite of Ruth's fondest caresses. It was Mr
Lorimer who came to her help, and succeeded at last in soothing its
fears and coaxing it to drink some milk, after which it settled down