“I like cats.”
“No, I don’t like cats. They are so funny and mysterious, or is that just what you like about them?”
“Father doesn’t like cats, either.”
“Doesn’t he?”
“No, he doesn’t!”
“Have you got a cat?”
“Yes, he’s called Minnie.”
“They are so nice to have about the house—pets, I mean.”
“Yes, aren’t they?”
A pause. She was wonderful, so shy and retiring. What was there to say? He sought for words.