"I have a present for you, little David!" Miss Nestleburt said; and she handed David what she was carrying--a large, soft black cat.
David was ecstatic. "Is it really mine? Can I really keep it?" he demanded.
I eyed the cat's bulging sides askance. "I think it's about to calve," I whispered in an aside to Grant.
"Yep, you can keep it," Grant said good-humouredly. "We'll quick fix it a bed in one of the garages."
"Is it a boy cat or a girl cat?" David asked.
"A girl cat, dear," I replied drily.
Miss Nestleburt's blue eyes sparkled as she watched David's joy in his new pet. "Let's go out now and see where the cat wants his bed to be," David cried, pulling a dried piece of gum off his cheek; and Grant and Mr. Hawkins followed him outside.
"Such pretty black, curly eyelashes the boy has!" Miss Nestleburt exclaimed.
I was about to ask her where she got the plump cat when I remembered that there was something else I was curious about.
"A long time ago Mr. Hawkins did something that embarrassed you--one of his practical jokes, I suppose--and you said you'd tell me all about it when you'd known me longer. Do you remember?" I asked. "And do you think you've known me long enough now?"