“One fine summer’s evening we had just entered this lane when, seeing the hedges full of wild flowers, I asked my friend to let me alight and gather some.  I walked before the carriage picking honeysuckles and roses as I went along, till I came to a gate that led into a field.  It was a common country gate with a post on each side, and on one of these posts sat a large white cat, the finest animal of the kind I had ever seen; and as I have a weakness for cats I stopped to admire this sleek, fat puss, looking so wonderfully comfortable in a very uncomfortable position, the top of the post, on which it was sitting with its feet doubled up under it, being out of all proportion to its body, for no Angola ever rivalled it in size.

“‘Come on gently,’ I called to my friend; ’here’s such a magnificent cat!’ for I feared the approach of the phaeton would startle it away before he had seen it.

“‘Where?’ said he, pulling up his horse opposite the gate.

“‘There,’ said I, pointing to the post.  ’Isn’t he a beauty?  I wonder if it would let me stroke it?’

“‘I see no cat,’ said he.

“‘There on the post,’ said I, but he declared he saw nothing, though puss sat there in perfect composure during this colloquy.

“‘Don’t you see the cat, James?’ said I in great perplexity to the groom.

“‘Yes, ma’am; a large white cat on that post.’

“I thought my friend must be joking, or losing his eyesight, and I approached the cat, intending to take it in my arms and carry it to the carriage; but as I drew near she jumped off the post, which was natural enough, but to my surprise she jumped into nothing—­as she jumped she disappeared!  No cat in the field—­none in the lane—­none in the ditch!

“‘Where did she go, James?’

“‘I don’t know, ma’am.  I can’t see her,’ said the groom, standing up in his seat and looking all round.

“I was quite bewildered; but still I had no glimmering of the truth; and when I got into the carriage again my friend said he thought I and James were dreaming, and I retorted that I thought he must be going blind.

“I had a commission to execute as we passed through the town, and I alighted for that purpose at the little haberdasher’s; and while they were serving me I mentioned that I had seen a remarkably beautiful cat sitting on a gate in the lane, and asked if they could tell me who it belonged to, adding it was the largest cat I ever saw.

“The owners of the shop, and two women who were making purchases, suspended their proceedings, looked at each other and then looked at me, evidently very much surprised.

“‘Was it a white cat, ma’am?’ said the mistress.

“‘Yes, a white cat; a beautiful creature and——­’

“‘Bless me!’ cried two or three, ’the lady’s seen the white cat of C——.  It hasn’t been seen these twenty years.’

“’Master wishes to know if you’ll soon be done, ma’am.  The pony is getting restless,’ said James.