I wonder you don't set about it right off," said Miriam.

Mean to get it exactly right, m'am," said Mr. Polly.

Have to have a tomcat," said Mr. Polly, and paused for an expectant

moment. "Wouldn't do to open shop one morning, you know, and find the

window full of kittens. Can't sell kittens...."

When tea was over he was left alone with Minnie for a few minutes, and

an odd intimation of an incident occurred that left Mr. Polly rather

scared and shaken. A silence fell between them--an uneasy silence. He

sat with his elbows on the table looking at her. All the way from

Easewood to Stamton his erratic imagination had been running upon neat

ways of proposing marriage. I don't know why it should have done, but

it had. It was a kind of secret exercise that had not had any definite

aim at the time, but which now recurred to him with extraordinary

force. He couldn't think of anything in the world that wasn't the

gambit to a proposal. It was almost irresistibly fascinating to think

how immensely a few words from him would excite and revolutionise

Minnie. She was sitting at the table with a workbasket among the tea

things, mending a glove in order to avoid her share of clearing away.

I like cats," said Minnie after a thoughtful pause. "I'm always

saying to mother, 'I wish we 'ad a cat.' But we couldn't 'ave a cat

ere--not with no yard."

137

The History of Mr Polly