Page:Recollections of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1904).djvu/59

 found dead one morning, murdered by her bloodthirsty son. There must have been an unusually fierce quarrel over family matters in the night, with this as a consequence. Nemesis, however, overtook the wicked son, for he also was found dead in his cage some few days after, but whether he committed suicide through remorse, or whether the racoon, who was strongly suspected, polished him off, was an open verdict.

When I first became acquainted with Rossetti, he had a peacock, a troublesome creature, which gave great annoyance to the neighbours by its continual shrill trumpetings. The complaints received were so numerous that the bird had to be got rid of, and a clause was introduced into the leases of Lord Cadogan's property, that no peacocks should be kept in the gardens of his tenants!

Before these complaints were made, a fallow deer was added to the collection—a graceful, beautiful creature, which, from its first introduction to the garden evinced the greatest curiosity in regard to the peacock. Perhaps it was the feeling of surprise experienced by the animal at the peacock continually displaying its gorgeous tail, which induced it to follow the bird up and down the garden, and eventually to stamp out every feather the tail of the poor thing possessed.

Amongst the indoor pets was a singularly wicked and morose parrot. Its sole delight seemed to be to get visitors to stroke its head, and then, without any warning, suddenly to fasten upon their fingers and finish up with a