down to breakfast the cat rubbed up against him more vigorously than
usual; but Tom, being bewildered between his expected gain in corn and the
positive loss of his child's toe, kept never minding her, until the cat,
with a sort of caterwauling growl, gave Tom a dab of her claws, that went
clean through his leathers, and a little further. 'Wow!' says Tom, with a
jump, clapping his hand on the part, and rubbing it, 'by this and that,
you drew the blood out o' me,' says Tom; 'you wicked divil--tish!--go
along!' says he, making a kick at her. With that the cat gave a
reproachful look at him, and her eyes glared just like a pair of
mail-coach lamps in a fog. With that, sir, the cat, with a mysterious
_'mi-ow'_ fixed a most penetrating glance on Tom, and distinctly uttered
his name.

"Tom felt every hair on his head as stiff as a pump-handle; and scarcely
crediting his ears, he returned a searching look at the cat, who very
quietly proceeded in a sort of nasal twang--

"'Tom Connor,' says she.

"'The Lord be good to me!' says Tom, 'if it isn't spakin' she is!'

"'Tom Connor,' says she again.

"'Yes, ma'am,' says Tom.

"'Come here,' says she; 'whisper--I want to talk to you, Tom,' says she,
'the laste taste in private,' says she--rising on her hams, and beckoning
him with her paw out o' the door, with a wink and a toss o' the head
aiqual to a milliner.