When I look back on this evening I wonder that my strength held out—my strength and my patience. I had a trying time with Mona. I had a worse one with the cat. In fact, I had a horrible time. Of course I could not get a word into her ear till she ate her meat. Her table manners were atrocious, and when she was eating she cracked her jaws and growled to herself, and was absolutely deaf and dumb to every sound but that of her own eating.
She knew I was on guard, so she did not listen for noises but gave herself up to enjoyment.
Well, when she finished, I began to speak hurriedly. At first she would not hear a word of my plan. No, no, she would stay on the Common and die.
“You'll miss your victuals,” I said sharply.
Actually the only way to approach her was through her appetite. I drew glowing pictures of the Denvilles' table. She asked if they had any mice.
“No, no,” I said, “not a mouse.” Then I perceived I had offended her. She said she liked mice and rats better than anything else.
I shuddered, but I kept on with my coaxing. “I'll tell you what you can do,” I said. “You can try it. Keep in my shadow to-night, creep in the front door, come up-stairs, and get under the bed. If you don't like it, to-morrow night I'll get you out again.”
“I'd rather try the yard,” she said very unexpectedly.
I was so pleased that I did not know what to do. She was giving way. She was actually thinking about coming; but there were dogs in the yard, Mona and the spaniel slept there in beautiful kennels.
I paused a minute, and she said sharply, “Be there dogs there?”
Now, just here, I did a dreadful thing. I was so anxious to get her that I told a lie. If I had had time to think about it, I wouldn't have done it. But her question was sprung on me, and before I knew what I was saying my wicked little tongue had just tripped off the words, “No, we have no dogs.”
I was punished though, and pretty quickly too. She looked dreadfully disappointed, and muttered, “Dogs is a purtection agin cats. Cats always licks me, an' you kin run from dogs, but cats is as quick as you be.”
“Oh, forgive me, forgive me,” I cried, “we have got dogs—two of the noblest creatures that ever lived.”
She turned very quickly toward me—the ghostly-looking creature under the bench—“Then you've bin lyin'.”