I turned round at the bottom of the garden
path, and behold, sitting on the party-wall between Mr. Trumpington's
garden and mine, was the debateable cat. An impulse of murderous rage
possessed me. I took an old golf-ball from my pocket and hurled it as
hard as I could at the potential destroyer of my peace. The black cat
was no sportsman. It dodged, and disappeared hastily on the Trumpington
side. At the same moment from behind a large clump of hollyhocks I heard
the sudden cry of a strong man in pain, followed by a stilled oath. I
squatted down instantly behind a thick rosebush; then, rising to peer
cautiously, I saw a most painful sight. I saw the horrible
transformation which may be caused in the features of an ordinary and
amiable man by an access of sudden rage and the impact of a brambled
golf-ball on the end of the nose. I squatted again.

"Confound the infernal fool! Who did that?" said the face of Mr.
Trumpington, looking through the hollyhock peepholes, the buds of which
rapidly began to turn from a lightish pink to deep rose.

It is always a more dignified policy to ignore a man in a temper, so it
was not until about ten minutes had elapsed, and silence reigned, that I
crawled painfully away into safety.

About five minutes later a note was brought round by hand from next
door. It ran as follows:--

"Mr. Trumpington will feel greatly obliged if Mr. Brown will prevent his
black cat from constantly straying upon his, Mr. Trumpington's,
flower-beds. He also requests that when Mr. Brown wishes to persecute
his black cat he should not do so when the animal is sitting on Mr.
Trumpington's wall, as this practice is attended with considerable risk
to Mr. Trumpington's life and limbs."

I sat down and wrote a reply.

"Mr. Brown," I said, "greatly regrets that a golf-ball playfully thrown
at Mr. Trumpington's black cat whilst sitting on his, Mr. Brown's, wall,
should have caused annoyance to Mr. Trumpington."

* * * * *

When I went out into the garden on the following day I could see Mr.
Trumpington's head, tastefully framed in pink hollyhock buds, apparently
following the spoor of a green-fly. He looked up almost at once and
caught my eye, but made no sign of recognition. I breathed a sigh of
relief. Thank heaven, I thought to myself, the worst has not happened.
The danger that I feared yesterday has blown over. There is no immediate
prospect of Mr. Trumpington and myself becom