At that moment Mackey, for that was the lemur's name, caught sight of Binney, whom he had not noticed before. With one bound he sprang from the rug by the fire to the top of a high door, a distance of many yards, where he sat staring down at the newcomer as though he did not know what to make of him.
Binney, on his part, was as much astonished as the lemur. He had seen the squirrels in the woods make great leaps, but nothing compared to Mackey's.
By and by Mackey seemed to make up his mind that Binney was not dangerous, for he came down from his high post to the arm of his master's chair, and from that to his feet, where he sat very contentedly with his long furry tail wrapped round his neck and arms, like the boas which ladies used to wear some years ago. After staring at Binney for a while longer, he wrapped himself up still closer, and went to sleep.
[CHAPTER VII.]
A STRANGE COMPANION.
BINNEY and Mackey, the lemur, soon became great friends, and every day after dinner they had a good frolic in the drawing-room. Binney would come up to Mackey as he sat on his master's foot before the fire, and by all sorts of odd motions invite him to play. Mackey was very ready to accept the challenge, and in an instant would jump on Binney's back, or on his broad, flat tail, and off again to the tables and chairs, skipping and dancing, and making a hundred motions to Binney's one.
Binney would shuffle and prance in his clumsy way, run after Mackey with his mouth open, and slap his tail on the carpet till he made all ring again; but they never quarrelled in their play. They often had cake, nuts, and other dainties given them, which they always shared in the most amiable manner, and upon the whole they were very happy.
One day when Binney was left alone in his master's dressing-room, he thought he would try to build a dam. To be sure, he had no twigs, sticks nor stones with which to build; no mud nor moss for mortar, and there was no water to run over the dam when it was done; but he thought it would make things seem a little like home again. So to work he went in a corner of the room, and dragged together tongs and shovels, the hearth-broom and warming-pan, his master's canes and umbrellas, and a broom and dusting brush which Mary the housemaid had left behind her that morning. These things he piled up as well as he could, till he had made quite a high dam.
Just as he finished it, Mackey, who had been asleep on the mantel over the fire, waked up, and jumped down to see what his friend was about.
"I am building a dam," said Binney; "only there is no water."