Object of the Month, this one unveiled with ceremony. It has arrived in a square, varnished pine box, sealed with heavy metal latches. Different children volunteer to open each closure, then one girl (lucky!) lifts the wooden lid away. Inside is the mummy of an Egyptian cat, or rather the bronze casing of such a mummy, poised, sleekly muscled, its gaze perfectly straightforward, its one golden earring flashing. Walter and I love the cat. Walter is my best friend in the class, a slight, underfed boy with narrow features and a dark crew cut; he is a wiry and wiggly boy, not like me at all, but we both like to take advantage of a special privilege: when we have finished our work and others are still busy, we are allowed to go to the back of the room and visit the cat. We study it, and the hieroglyphics carved at its base.