"I don"t think Mrs. Crofton cares for cats," answered Radmore carelessly.
"Oh, yes, she does--and the other day she said The Trellis House was overrun with mice. Betty thinks it would be a very good home for one of Josephine"s new kittens."
Even while he was speaking, the big white cat had left her basket and was walking round her master, purring. He stooped down and lifted her up.
"If Mrs. Crofton sees Josephine, she will simply long to have one of her kittens! Will you bring along the white one, G.o.dfrey--the one we call Puff? We do so want to find him a good home."
Radmore walked across to where the big basket stood on the floor, and peered into it dubiously: "Why, Timmy, they"re tiny! Poor little wretches! I wouldn"t dream of bringing one of them along--it would be sheer cruelty. Of course you can bring the cat if you feel like it, but I shouldn"t if I were you."
"I"ll only take her in for a minute."
Timmy felt just a little sorry Radmore had refused to bring Puff along, for he was well aware that a cat is never so fierce as when she imagines she is defending her young.
They went off together, Radmore in front, Timmy, hugging Josephine, behind. Just outside the drawing-room door the boy stopped for a moment, and shifted the cat"s weight from one arm to the other. There had come over him a rather uncomfortable premonition of evil, but he now felt strung up to go through with his experiment.
From within the drawing-room there came the sound of laughter and talking. It was evident that the party was going well, and that everyone in there was merry and at their ease.
"Would you mind opening the door, G.o.dfrey?" There was a slight quiver of apprehension in Timmy"s voice.
Radmore opened the door, and for a fleeting moment he saw an attractive, placid scene spread out before him.
The two girls, in their pretty light dresses, were standing by the wood fire. On the sofa, to their left, with the light from one of the lamps focussed full on her, sat Mrs. Crofton, her bare left arm hanging over the side of the low couch. Jack, perched on the arm of a big chair, was looking at her, all his soul in his eyes. Mr. Tosswill sat some way off under a shaded reading lamp; his wife, knitting, not far from him. Tom was surrept.i.tiously reading a book in a corner behind the sofa.
And then, all at once, Radmore found himself whirled into an unutterable scene of confusion and terror.
As Timmy walked through the open door Josephine had leapt out of his arms on to the floor. For a flashing second the cat stood on the carpet, her white fur all abristle, her back arched, and her tail lashing furiously in the air. Then, uttering a hoa.r.s.e cry of rage and fear, she sprang towards Mrs. Crofton, and dug first her claws, and then her teeth, into the white arm that hung over the side of the couch.... Josephine"s terrified victim gave a fearful cry, everyone in the room got up and rushed forward, and at that exact instant Betty came into the drawing-room. Sweeping a piece of embroidery off the piano, she threw it over the cat"s head, took up the now struggling, helpless bundle, and rushed out of the room with it.
Then followed a scene of appalling confusion. Enid, completely losing control of herself, screamed and screamed and screamed.
Few people, fortunately for themselves, have ever heard a woman scream, and some of those present felt they would never forget the sound. In the minds of most of the grown-up people there was the same unspoken question--had the cat suddenly gone mad? Had she got hydrophobia?
They all crowded round their unfortunate guest--all but Timmy, who stood aside with a look in which remorse, fear, and triumph struggled for mastery on his queer little face.
And then at last, when Mrs. Crofton lay back, moaning, on the sofa, surrounded by her distracted and horrified hosts, somebody suggested that Dr. O"Farrell should be sent for, and Jack rushed into the hall to find Betty already at the telephone.
Meanwhile Janet Tosswill was doing her best to persuade the victim of Josephine"s savage aggression to come upstairs and await the doctor there; but, shudderingly, Enid Crofton refused to stir.
A slight diversion was created when Betty came in with a basin of warm water, soap, and a sponge. Again everyone crowded round the sofa, and Jack and Radmore both felt alarm, as well as horror, when they saw the wounds made by the cat"s claws and the cat"s teeth.
While her arm was being bathed, Mrs. Crofton grew so pale that Janet feared she was going to faint, and Rosamund was sent flying up to the medicine cupboard to get some brandy.
Dr. O"Farrell was at home when telephoned for, but the quarter of an hour which elapsed before he reached Old Place seemed very long to some of the people waiting there. The doctor came in smiling, but his face altered and grew very grave when he saw Mrs. Crofton"s arm, and heard the confused, excited account of what had happened.
To the patient he made light of the whole matter, but while someone was putting on Mrs. Crofton"s overshoes and while her evening cloak was being brought in he moved a little aside with Jack, Mr. Tosswill, and Radmore.
None of them noticed that Timmy was hovering on the outskirts of the group.
"I want to say," he began in a low voice, "that of course that cat will have to be kept under observation, or else she"ll have to be destroyed and her body sent up to town to make sure of--you know what! Meanwhile, no one must go near her. Where is she now?"
Mr. Tosswill looked vaguely round. "I think Betty took her into the kitchen," he said slowly, and then he called out, "Betty?"
The girl came up. "Yes, father?"
"What did you do with Timmy"s cat?"
"I put her back in the scullery, with her kittens. They only opened their eyes yesterday. Of course Timmy ought never to have brought her into the drawing-room."
Dr. O"Farrell looked much relieved. He turned round: "Oh, she"s just had kittens, has she? That probably accounts for the whole thing."
Mrs. Crofton roused herself. "I do hope that horrible cat will be killed at once," she cried hysterically. "I can"t stay in Beechfield if she"s left alive."
Dr. O"Farrell answered soothingly, "Don"t you fret, Mrs. Crofton. She"s a vicious brute, and shot she shall be."
No one noticed that Timmy had heard every word of this conversation; no one noticed the expression on his face.
It had been arranged that the doctor should take Mrs. Crofton home in his car, and that only when she was comfortably in bed should those ugly little wounds be properly dressed.
As the doctor was hurrying down the pa.s.sage into the hall, he was surprised to see Timmy at his elbow and to hear the boy"s voice pipe up: "If my cat"s not mad, she won"t have to be killed, doctor, will she?" He asked the question in a quiet, matter-of-fact tone.
"Yes, my little friend, mad or not mad, she"s deserved death--and no one must go near her till the fell deed is done!" And then, as he suddenly caught sight of Timmy"s strained, agonised face, he added kindly: "She"ll be in the cats" heaven before she knows she"s touched. I"ll come down in the morning and I"ll shoot her through the window myself--I"m a dead shot, Timmy, my boy."
As Janet came along, Timmy burst out crying, and his mother, distracted, turned to Radmore. "Oh, G.o.dfrey, do get him away upstairs! He"s tired out, that"s what it is. Unfortunately the cat belongs to him, and he"s very fond of her--he"s almost as fond of Josephine as he is of Flick."
Radmore put his hand on his G.o.dson"s shoulder. "Come, Timmy, don"t cry.
It"s unmanly."
But Timmy, instead of making an effort to control himself, wrenched himself away and ran down the long corridor towards the kitchen. Even as a tiny child he had hated to be caught crying.
There followed an absurd scene at the front door, Jack and Rosamund almost quarrelling as to which of them should accompany Mrs. Crofton home. In the end they had both gone, and Janet, ordering everyone else to bed, sat up, wearily awaiting their return, for neither of them had thought of taking a latchkey.
Poor Janet! Her thoughts were sad and worried thoughts, as she waited, trying to read, in the drawing-room. At the very last, Betty had lingered for a moment after the others, and she had noticed that the girl"s eyes were full of tears.
"Why, Betty, what"s the matter? I don"t think we need really worry over Mrs. Crofton."
"I"m not thinking of Mrs. Crofton. I can"t bear the thought of poor Josephine being shot to-morrow morning."
"Oh, my dear, don"t _you_ turn sentimental! I never did like that poor cat; to me there"s always been something queer and uncanny about her."
"You"ve never liked cats," Betty answered, rather aggressively. "Timmy and I are devoted to Josephine--so is Nanna."
Janet had checked the contemptuous words trembling on her lips. Abruptly she had changed the subject: "I want to tell you, Betty, how splendidly the dinner went off to-night. Your cooking was first chop!"
Betty at once softened. But all she said was: "I would give anything for Mrs. Crofton to leave Beechfield, Janet. Did you see Jack"s face?"
"Yes, and I do feel worried about it. Yet one can"t do anything."
"I suppose one can"t. But it"s too bad of her. I think her a horrid woman. Jack is just a scalp to her. I don"t mind her flirtation with G.o.dfrey--that"s much more reasonable!"
Then she had hurried off upstairs without waiting for an answer, and her step-mother, looking back, rather wondered that Betty had said that.