"No—her nest must be somewhere there—she is guarding her nestlings," said Anthony.
Then he raised his stick menacingly, and, in tones of stern command, addressed the cat.
"Patapouf! I am ashamed of you. Come down—come down from there—come down directly."
And he emphasised each staccato summons by a sharp rap of his stick against the highest point of the tree that he could reach.
The cat turned his head, to look—and the spell was broken. His attitude relaxed. Anthony put his hands on the tree, and made as if to climb it. The cat gave a resigned shrug of the shoulders, and came scrambling down. Next instant, (if you please), unabashed, tail erect, back arched, he was rubbing his whiskers against Anthony's legs, circling round them, s-shaping himself between them, and purring conciliations, as who should say, "There, there. Though you have spoiled sport, I won't quarrel with you, and I am delighted to see you." The bird, twittering, flew up, and disappeared in the higher foliage.
Susanna breathed a deep sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank you, thank you," she said, with fervour. Then she shook her finger, and frowned, at Patapouf. "Oh, you bad cat! You cruel cat!" And raising eyes dark with reproach to Anthony's, "Yet he seems to be a friend of yours?" she wondered. (By this time, of course, she must have realised who he was. Very likely she had her emotions.)
Anthony, the bird in safety, could tingle anew to the deep notes of her voice, could exult anew in their dual solitude.
"Yes," he acknowledged, "Patapouf is a friend of mine—he is even a member of my household. You must try not to think too ill of him. He really is n't half a bad sort at bottom. But he 's English, and he lives in the country. So, a true English country gentleman, he has perhaps an exaggerated passion for the pleasures of the chase—and when questions touching them arise, seems simply to be devoid of the ethical sense. He 's not a whit worse than his human neighbours—and he 's a hundred times handsomer and more intelligent."
Susanna, smiling a little, looked down at Patapouf, and considered.