He loved animals. All the time he was President, one of the most hon-ured inhabitants of the Elysee was his Siamese cat, Gris-Gris. When Poincare worked in his library, Gri JGris would curl up on his master's desk and purr loudly when the: President stopped his neat writing for a moment to give him a gentle caress.
"The cat even accompanied Poincars Jwhen he wont on holiday, making the most of the cushioned seats in the private saloon on the train, and condescendinyly displaying himself at] the window to the crowds at the ations along the line.
Poincare was fond of dogs, too. When he wns able to give no the formal splendour of the Elysee Gahich he disliked) and retire to the simple comforts of his country home at Samoleny, a great Alsatian and a tiny Griffon were frequently hie companions.
Always side by side with the apparent cool mastery of affairs which was all that the public saw, went a concealed emotion in times of great stress. Tu his memoirs, there are many striking glimpses of the statesman unable to maintained his mask of calm detachment when once he:
The late M. Poineare Public Instruction, and, a few years
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.