acquainted, by sticking her sharp-pointed nose through the handle. In winter-time when the doors were not open at all hours of the twenty-four, she did not so easily get out without leave; and it was by no means unusual, if I went from one room to another in the dark, to find her drop upon me suddenly from the roof, alighting on my shoulder or my head, like a soft heavy bundle, and steadying herself by wrapping her tail round my face or my throat.
Through close observation of her habits we were enabled, to a great extent, to falsify our neighbours' predictions that we should rue the day that ever we petted an opossum. To do the good folks justice they had not been sparing of their prophecies, and, with a solemn look at our chimney ornaments, had foretold the breaking of "every mortal one of them." But we found that Possie's spirits rapidly increased with the later hours of night, and that for a little while after dark she was not one whit more dangerous amongst nick-nacks than a lively kitten. In playing about a room, at this early stage of the night, she gave offence to no one but our little dog, who persisted in regarding her as an interloper, and often looked appealingly at me when molested or disturbed, as if asking that the affront, which she herself was not permitted to notice, might be resented by her mistress.
There was one temptation, however, which Possie could never resist,—if a nosegay was within reach she would always try to get at it, and I sometimes found her sitting bolt upright before one that had been arranged with care and trouble, snatching out flower after flower, and eagerly transferring them to her mouth, her large round eyes full
