"Cats belong to a very different class of animals; they are beasts of prey, formed to spring and bound, and tear with their teeth and claws. The otter is also a beast of prey, but its prey is found in the still waters, and not on the land; it can neither climb nor leap. So I do not think he would hurt your squirrel, if you had one."
"See, nurse, my dear little squirrel is still where I left him, clinging to the wires of the cage, his bright eyes looking like two black beads."
"As soon as it grows dark he will begin to be more lively, and perhaps he will eat something, but not while we look at him—he is too shy for that."
"Nurse, how can they see to eat in the dark?"
"The good God, Lady Mary, has so formed their eyes that they can see best by night. I will read you, Lady Mary, a few Verses from Psalm civ.:—
"Verse 19. He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his
going down.
20. Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts
of the forest do creep forth.
21. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from
God.
22. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them
down in their dens.
23. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the
evening.