me why the doctor called you
Peter?"

"Because that is my name, I suppose," I answered, shaking up a cushion
for William Adolphus and thereby disturbing the dust of years.

Alexander Abraham coughed gently.

"Isn't that--ahem!--rather a peculiar name for a woman?"

"It is," I said, wondering how much soap, if any, there was in the
house.

"I am NOT curious," said Alexander Abraham, "but would you mind telling
me how you came to be called Peter?"

"If I had been a boy my parents intended to call me Peter in honour of
a rich uncle. When I--fortunately--turned out to be a girl my mother
insisted that I should be called Angelina. They gave me both names and
called me Angelina, but as soon as I grew old enough I decided to be
called Peter. It was bad enough, but not so bad as Angelina."

"I should say it was more appropriate," said Alexander Abraham,
intending, as I perceived, to be disagreeable.

"Precisely," I agreed calmly. "My last name is MacPherson, and I live
in Avonlea. As you are NOT curious, that will be all the information you
will need about me."

"Oh!" Alexander Abraham looked as if a light had broken in on him. "I've
heard of you. You--ah--pretend to dislike men."

Pretend! Goodness only knows what would have happened to Alexander
Abraham just then if a diversion had not taken place. But the door
opened and a dog came in--THE dog. I suppose he had got tired waiting
under the cherry tree for William Adolphus and me to come down. He was
even uglier indoors than out.

"Oh, Mr. Riley, Mr. Riley, see what you have let me in for," said
Alexander Abraham reproachfully.

But Mr. Riley--since that was the brute's name--paid no attention to
Alexander Abraham. He had caught sight of William Adolphus curled up on
the cushion, and he started across the room to investigate him. William
Adolphus sat up and began to take notice.

"Call off that dog," I said warningly to Alexander Abraham.

"Call him off yourself," he retorted. "Since you've brought that cat
here you can protect him."

"Oh, it wasn't for William Adolphus' sake I spoke," I said pleasantly.
"William Adolphus can protect himself."

William Adolphus could and did. He humped his back, flattened his ears,
swore once, and then made a flying leap for Mr. Riley. William Adolphus
landed squarely on Mr. Riley's brindled back and promptly took fast
hold, spitting and clawing and caterwauling.

You never saw a more astonished dog than Mr. Riley. With a