“Yes, he did buy one,” said Mafferty.

“Hey?”

“He bought one—or, rather, he sent his man for one—a white Angora with blue eyes.”

“An’ how much would ye get fer such a beast?”

“Twenty dollars.”

“Twenty dollars!” echoed the caretaker, in disgust, “an’ I drowns ’em by the bagful.”

“You don’t drown Angoras.”

“Who said I did? I drowns common cats, gray cats, tabby cats, yellow cats, an’ all kinds of cats.”

“How much do you get for it?”

“Ten cents apiece.”