"That's what I want," said Joe. "I can't afford to have my hands scratched, as I do some legerdemain tricks. But I need some soft-soled slippers more than I need gloves."
"Here is a pair," said the woman. "They're mine. I wear large ones, for I like to be comfortable."
"They'll fit me," decided Joe, after an inspection. "Just what I want, too!"
He began to take off his shoes.
"Do you really mean you are going to walk out on that wire and get my cat?" asked the woman, comprehending his intention as she saw Joe putting on the slippers and drawing on the old gloves she had given him. They were a man's size, and he judged she must have used them in rough work about the house.
"I'm going out on the wire to get your cat," he said.
"Oh, but I ought not to let you! You may fall and be killed! When I said I'd give a hundred dollars to whoever would save Peter, I did not mean that any one should risk his life. Much as I love my cat, I couldn't allow that."
"I'll be all right," said Joe easily. "Walking wires is part of my business. Now don't worry. And please don't scream if you are going to watch me."
She looked at him curiously.
"I am not in the habit of screaming," she said quietly.