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wild kittens born when their owners went camping and never belonging to anyone.
    The tenants put missiles on all window ledges to hurl during the night. In the morning I took a basket and gathered them up and took them to the tenants’ doors so that each could pick out his own shoes, hairbrushes, pokers and scent bottles. Parson Pendergast threw everything portable at the cats. The old lady was very much upset at his being so disturbed. At last, with care and great patience, I enticed the cats into my basement, caught them and had them mercifully destroyed.
    When I told the Pendergasts, the Parson gave a cruel, horrible laugh. “I crushed a cat with a plank once—beat the life out of her, just for meowing in our kitchen—threw her into the bush for dead; a week later she crawled home—regular jelly of a cat.” He sniggered.
    â€œYou—a parson—you did that? You cruel beast! To do such a filthy thing!”
    Mrs. Pendergast gasped. I bounced away.
    I could not go near the monster after that. I used to help the old lady just the same, but I would not go near the Reverend Pendergast.
    ONE DAY, I found her crying.
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œOur daughter—is going to be married.”
    â€œWhy should she not?”
    â€œHe is not the kind of man the Parson wishes his daughter to marry. Besides, they are going to be married by a J.P. They will not wait for Father. There is not another parson in the vicinity.”
    The old lady was very distressed indeed.
    â€œTell your daughter to come here to be married. I will put her up and help you out with things.”
    The old lady was delighted. The tears stopped trickling out of her good eye and her bad eye too.
    We got a wire off to the girl and then we began to bake and get the flat in order.
    The Parson insisted it should be a church wedding—everything in the best ecclesiastical style, with the bishop officiating. The girl would be two days with her parents before the ceremony. She was to have my spare room. However, the young man came too, so she had the couch in her mother’s sitting room. They sent him upstairs without so much as asking if they might.
    I was helping Mrs. Pendergast finish the washing-up when the young couple arrived. Mrs. Pendergast went to the door. She did not bring them out where I was, but, keeping her daughter in the other room, she called out some orders to me as if I had been her servant. I finished and went away; I began to see that the old lady was a snob. She did not think me the equal of her daughter because I was a landlady.
    It was very late when the mother and daughter brought the young man upstairs to my flat to show him his room. They had to pass through my studio. From my bedroom up in the attic I could look right down into the studio. My door was ajar. There was enough light from the hall to show them the way, but the girl climbed on a chair and turned all the studio lights up full.The three then stood looking around at everything, ridiculed me, made fun of my pictures. They whispered, grimaced and pointed. They jeered, mimicked, play-acted me. I saw my own silly self bouncing round my own studio in the person of the old lady I had tried to help. When they had giggled enough, they showed the young man his room and the women went away.
    I WAS WORKING in my garden next morning when the woman and the girl came down the path. I did not look up or stop digging.
    â€œThis is my daughter… You have not met, I think.”
    I looked straight at them, and said, “I saw you when you were in my studio last night.”
    The mother and daughter turned red and foolish looking; they began to talk hard.
    THE WEDDING WAS in the Cathedral; the old man gave his daughter away with great pomp. The other witness was a stupid man. I was paired with him. We went for a drive after the ceremony.
    I had to go to the wedding breakfast because I had promised to help the old lady; I hated eating their food. The