reaching a great, hairy paw out of the cage.

"Lor blime, missus, yer ortenter do that to another woman's 'ushand,"
said the facetious labourer.

The people pressed about Mahdi's cage. They threw nuts at him, and
offered him lollies and cakes, and the Missing Link went through many
surprising contortions, and rolled about, and capered, and growled in a
most realistic way, while Madame Marve gave a full and exciting account
of his capture in the jungles of Central Africa by a party of hunters, of
whom Professor Thunder was the leader and the conspicuous hero.

"Mahdi was then very young," said Madame. "He has been reared with great
tenderness, and is now probably the most valuable, and he is the rarest
animal in the world. Professor Thunder has been offered thousands of
pounds for Mahdi, but refuses to part with him, preferring to take the
marvellous monkey-man through the world for the education and edification
of his fellow-creatures."

Mahdi swung on his bar again, flopped, and then ran up the back wall
several times, after which he sat in a corner and scratched himself
industriously, grinning at the people every now and then, or uttering a
growl that gave the women delicious cold shivers.

The attention of the patrons was next drawn to the educated pig, and
presently the show-room was empty again for a minute or two. Madame Marve
addressed Mahdi the Missing Link.

"You must growl more, my boy," she said. "The people like the growling,
it terrifies them, and they talk to their friends about it. You really