And he misses his brothers and sisters.”

“Kitty, where are you?” called Mother Marie. “Of course Mr. Renni must be kept nice and warm. Here, come on, Kitty.”

The kitten, grey and white, tiger-striped, came up mincing daintily, her eyes wide with curiosity, and quite ready for war.

“No nonsense now, and don’t be coy,” commanded Mother Marie. She picked Kitty up from the floor, pressed the soft body against her chin, blew on the silky fur and put her in the basket.

Kitty, arching her back a little, smelled Renni over carefully and curiously. For a moment things hung in the balance. Then she lay down beside him with a graceful sort of movement as much as to say, “This is all right with me.”

Renni had no more than felt her presence there when he cuddled up quite close. He stopped whimpering. He only sighed once or twice, deeply and comfortably. Kitty put one paw caressingly on his neck. She began purring almost at once. They fell asleep side by side.

“Cat and dog, together,” smiled Mother Marie.

George nodded his satisfaction. “I knew it! What about that natural instinct now?”

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Chapter II

IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE Renni outgrew the bottle, and the basket soon became too small for him, but he shared his new bed with Kitty and ate his milk and rice out of the same dish with her. He liked the world about him, the rooms and the garden, and he would no more have given up the kitten than she him.

For hours at a time the two would roll over each other in good-natured play. Renni’s thick clumsy paw would bowl Kitty over. Then he would stand above her and mouth at her head, nip her with his needle-like teeth, or with his swiftly lapping tongue would wash her face, neck and breast.

Kitty would lie on her back and lash out at him, boxing his ears with lightning-swift paws. It did not hurt at all, even when her hind legs played a tattoo on his stomach. When she got tired of the game up she would get, and in a flash leave Renni dumbfounded. Light as a feather she would land on top of a dresser, or, if she were out in the garden, she would shoot up a tree.

Climbing a tree was one thing Renni could not do. He knew he couldn’t and he didn’t even want to try. But every time Kitty did it, the feat left him astounded.

Renni was a funny-looking fellow. His skin hung in loose folds like a coat too big for him and swelled out on his forehead into puffs and wrinkles that gave him an expression positively sorrowful. His ears were large, out of all proportion to his size, and they stuck up stiff and sharp from his head. To even the slightest noise they seemed to answer, “I hear you.” Black hair covered his back like a saddlecloth and made smudges across his face. The edges of his lips glistened deep black. Even his gums were black. But his neck, breast and the underside of his body glowed with tawny yellow like a lion’s skin.

His tail, not yet completely plumed did not roll but hung down in a slight curve. It resembled nothing so much as a black toy broom.

He had not yet gained full use of his thick clumsy legs. Often he would fall all over himself and seem to be trying to show off, like a circus clown. But not for one minute did he really think of showing off or of impressing anyone; everything funny that he did was quite unintentional.