Черный кот

           Thiscircumstance,however,onlyendearedittomywife,who,asIhavealreadysaid, possessed,inahighdegree,thathumanityoffeelingwhichhadoncebeenmydistinguishingtrait,andthesourceofmanyofmysimplestandpurestpleasures. 

           Withmyaversiontothiscat,however,itspartialityformyselfseemedtoincrease. Itfollowedmyfootstepswithapertinacitywhichitwouldbedifficulttomakethereadercomprehend. WheneverIsat,itwouldcrouchbeneathmychair,orspringuponmyknees,coveringmewithitsloathsomecaresses. IfIarosetowalkitwouldgetbetweenmyfeetandthusnearlythrowmedown, or,fasteningitslongandsharpclawsinmydress,clamber,inthismanner,tomybreast. Atsuchtimes,althoughIlongedtodestroyitwithablow,Iwasyetwithheldfromsodoing,partlyitatbyamemoryofmyformercrime, butchiefly—letmeconfessitatonce—byabsolutedreadofthebeast. 

           Thisdreadwasnotexactlyadreadofphysicalevil—andyetIshouldbeatalosshowotherwisetodefineit. Iamalmostashamedtoown—yes,eveninthisfelon’scell,Iamalmostashamedtoown —thattheterrorandhorrorwithwhichtheanimalinspiredme,hadbeenheightenedbyoneofthemerestchimaerasitwouldbepossibletoconceive. Mywifehadcalledmyattention,morethanonce,tothecharacterofthemarkofwhitehair, ofwhichIhavespoken,andwhichconstitutedthesolevisibledifferencebetweenthestrangebeastandtheoneIhaddestroyed.