stow was a old man, and he was
quite welcome to 'ave the property as long as the cat lived.

"It must come to me by the time I'm an old man," he ses, "ard that's all
I care about."

Henery Walker went off, and as 'e passed the cottage where old Clark used
to live, and which George Barstow 'ad moved into, 'e spoke to the old man
over the palings and told 'im wot Joe Clark 'ad said. George Barstow
only grunted and went on stooping and prying over 'is front garden.

"Bin and lost something?" ses Henery Walker, watching 'im.

"No; I'm finding," ses George Barstow, very fierce, and picking up
something. "That's the fifth bit o' powdered liver I've found in my
garden this morning."

Henery Walker went off whistling, and the opinion he'd 'ad o' Joe Clark
began to improve. He spoke to Joe about it that arternoon, and Joe said
that if 'e ever accused 'im o' such a thing again he'd knock 'is 'ead
off. He said that he 'oped the cat 'ud live to be a hundred, and that
'e'd no more think of giving it poisoned meat than Henery Walker would of
paying for 'is drink so long as 'e could get anybody else to do it for
'im.

They 'ad bets up at this 'ere _Cauliflower_ public-'ouse that evening as to
'ow long that cat 'ud live. Nobody gave it more than a month, and Bill
Chambers sat and thought o' so many ways o' killing it on the sly that it
was wunnerful to hear 'im.

George Barstow took fright when he 'eard of them, and the care 'e took o'
that cat was wunnerful to behold. Arf its time it was shut up in the
back bedroom, and the other arf George Barstow was fussing arter it till
that cat got to hate 'im like pison. Instead o' giving up work as he'd
thought to do, 'e told Henery Walker that 'e'd never worked so 'ard in
his life.

"Wot about fresh air and exercise for it?" ses Henery.

"Wot about Joe Clark?" ses George Bar-stow. "I'm tied 'and and foot. I
dursent leave the house for a moment. I ain't been to the _Cauliflower_
since I've 'ad it, and three times I got out o' bed last night to see if
it was safe."

"Mark my words," ses Henery Walker; "if that cat don't 'ave exercise,
you'll lose it.

"I shall lose it if it does 'ave exercise," ses George Barstow, "that I
know."

He sat down thinking arter Henery Walker 'ad gone, and then he 'ad a
little collar and chain made for it, and took it out for a walk. Pretty
nearly every dog in Claybury went with 'em, and the cat was in such a
state o' mind afore they got 'om