its tan and his eyes dilated with excitement.

"By Gad, it's true!"

His agitation was unmistakably genuine, and his hearers started forward
in a thrill of awakened interest.

Collapsing into an armchair he continued breathlessly: "I found him
dozing in the smoking-room, and called out to him to come for his tea.
He blinked at me in his usual way, and I said, 'Come on, Toby; don't
keep us waiting;' and, by Gad! he drawled out in a most horribly
natural voice that he'd come when he dashed well pleased! I nearly
jumped out of my skin!"

Appin had preached to absolutely incredulous hearers; Sir Wilfrid's
statement carried instant conviction. A Babel-like chorus of startled
exclamation arose, amid which the scientist sat mutely enjoying the
first fruit of his stupendous discovery.

In the midst of the clamour Tobermory entered the room and made his way
with velvet tread and studied unconcern across to the group seated
round the tea-table.

A sudden hush of awkwardness and constraint fell on the company.
Somehow there seemed an element of embarrassment in addressing on equal
terms a domestic cat of acknowledged dental ability.

"Will you have some milk, Tobermory?" asked Lady Blemley in a rather
strained voice.

"I don't mind if I do," was the response, couched in a tone of even
indifference. A shiver of suppressed excitement went through the
listeners, and Lady Blemley might be excused for pouring out the
saucerful of milk rather unsteadily.

"I'm afraid I've spilt a good deal of it," she said apologetically.

"After all, it's not my Axminster," was Tobermory's rejoinder.

Another silence fell on the group, and then Miss Resker, in her best
district-visitor manner, asked if the human language had been difficult
to learn. Tobermory looked squarely at her for a moment and then fixed
his gaze serenely on the middle distance. It was obvious that boring
questions lay outside his scheme of life.

"What do you think of human intelligence?" asked Mavis Pellington
lamely.

"Of whose intelligence in particular?" asked Tobermory coldly.

"Oh, well, mine for instance," said Mavis, with a feeble laugh.

"You put me in an embarrassing position," said Tobermory, whose tone
and attitude certainly did not suggest a shred of embarrassment. "When
your inclusion in this house-party was suggested Sir Wilfrid protested
that you were the most brainless woman of his acquaintance, and that
there was a wide distinction betw