Look to yourself! look to yourself! insult my cat, insult me! Swear at Jacobina, indeed!" "If she steals my cream!" cried Peter-- "Did she ever steal your cream ?" "No! but, if--" "Did she ever steal your cream ?" "I can't say she ever did." "Or any thing else of yours ?" "Not that I know of; but--" "Never too late to mend." "If--" "Will you listen to me, or not ?" "Well." "You'll listen ?" "Yes." "Know then, that I wanted to do you kindness." "Humph!" "Hold jaw! I taught Jacobina all she knows." "More's the pity!" "Hold jaw! I taught her to respect her friends,--never to commit herself in doors--never to steal at home--never to fly at home--never to scratch at home--to kill mice and rats--to bring all she catches to her master--to do what he tells her--and to defend his house as well as a mastiff: and this invaluable creature I was going to lend you:--won't now, d--d if I do!" "Humph." "Hold jaw! When I'm gone, Jacobina will have no one to feed her.

She'll feed herself--will go to every larder, every house in the place--your's best larder, best house;--will come to you oftenest.

If your wife attempts to drive her away, scratch her eyes out; if you disturb her, serve you worse than Joe Webster's little boy:--wanted to prevent this--won't now, d--d if I do!" "But, Corporal, how would it mend the matter to take the devil in-doors ?" "Devil! Don't call names.

Did not I tell you, only one Jacobina does not hurt is her master ?--make you her master: now d'ye see ?" "It is very hard," said Peter grumblingly, "that the only way I can defend myself from this villainous creature is to take her into my house." "Villainous! You ought to be proud of her affection.

She returns good for evil--she always loved you; see how she rubs herself against you--and that's the reason why I selected you from the whole village, to take care of her; but you at once injure yourself and refuse to do your friend a service.