“Her face looked fine,” I said, “as I saw it through the window.”
“Ah! she’s the woman for me,” said the cat fervently, “but you want to know how I got back to her. Just after that evening I saw you, things began to go badly at the eating-place. The help broke the dishes, and got saucy, the people off the street didn’t patronise us, the man broke his leg, and the woman got melancholy. One day when she sat staring at the floor, I happened to pass in front of her.
“‘I believe it’s that black cat,’ she said, springing up and running to the room where her husband lay in bed. ‘We’ve had bad luck ever since we picked her up.’
“‘Don’t be a fool,’ he said roughly.
“But he couldn’t stop her. ‘It’s true,’ she said, ‘I’ve heard bad luck always follows stolen animals, and your luck don’t change till you take ’em back.’
“The man was quite angry, but he couldn’t change her. Didn’t she, the next Sunday, in spite of their lack of money, take the train and bring me out here.
“She brought the basket in which she had confined me right in here to Granny. ‘Look here,’ she said (she is a great, fat woman and very outspoken), ‘I did an awful thing a few weeks ago. I stole the cat I saw sitting near this house. I don’t know whether it’s yours or not, but I want you to help me get it back to its rightful owner. I believe it brought a kind of spell on me.’
“Granny opened the basket, and oh! how gently she took me out and stroked my fur. ‘It’s my cat,’ she said, ‘and I thank you for bringing her back. Sit down, and I’ll make you a cup of tea.’
“The woman was very glad to sit down, and have some tea and talk, after her ride in the train, and while I licked my fur into shape, I listened to what my dear old Granny said to her. Now, I want to tell you this, just to convince you what a good mistress I had, for you seemed to think I was a little soft to mourn so much.
“Said Granny, ‘Why did you steal my cat?’