dows of suspicion gathered
round the case. The cat's disappearance, at first regarded as a mystery,
began to assume the shape of a crime. The wife openly accused the
husband of never having liked the animal, and more than hinted that he
and the gardener between them could give a tolerably truthful account of
its last moments; an insinuation that the husband repudiated with a
warmth that only added credence to the original surmise.

"The bull-terrier was had up and searchingly examined. Fortunately for
him, he had not had a single fight for two whole days. Had any recent
traces of blood been detected upon him, it would have gone hard with him.

"The person who suffered most, however, was the youngest boy. Three
weeks before, he had dressed the cat in doll's clothes and taken it round
the garden in the perambulator. He himself had forgotten the incident,
but Justice, though tardy, was on his track. The misdeed was suddenly
remembered at the very moment when unavailing regret for the loss of the
favourite was at its deepest, so that to box his ears and send him, then
and there, straight off to bed was felt to be a positive relief.

"At the end of a fortnight, the cat, finding he had not, after all,
bettered himself, came back. The family were so surprised that at first
they could not be sure whether he was flesh and blood, or a spirit come
to comfort them. After watching him eat half a pound of raw steak, they
decided he was material, and caught him up and hugged him to their
bosoms. For a week they over-fed him and made much of him. Then, the
excitement cooling, he found himself dropping back into his old position,
and didn't like it, and went next door again.

"The next door people had also missed him, and they likewise greeted his
return with extravagant ebullitions of joy. This gave the cat an idea.
He saw that his game was to play the two families off one against the
other; which he did. He spent an alternate fortnight with each, and
lived like a fighting cock. His return was always greeted with
enthusiasm, and every means were adopted to induce him to stay. His
little whims were carefully studied, his favourite dishes kept in
constant readiness.

"The destination of his goings leaked out at length, and then the two
families quarrelled about him over the fence. My friend accused the
newspaper man of having lured him away. The newspaper man retorted that
the poor creature had come to his door wet a