‘He doesn’t seem to realize this place is ours,’ said Oxford. ‘He walks into this clothes-yard, just as bold as if it belonged to him.’ ‘But there is no fence between the two places,’ said Sally. ‘We go into Mrs. Conant’s garden whenever we like.’ ‘We are old settlers,’ said Oxford. ‘We have a right to go where we please, but I call it bold for an impudent young puppy to come over into our yard. Before we know it, he will be in the Wild Wood.’ He had an endless fascination for them, however. They liked to watch him starting out at an early hour in the morning for an airing with Mrs. Conant’s husband. They trembled and felt safer when he went back to the house and the door closed. Elvira would say, ‘I think it is safe for Oxford and Sally to go out now. It will be some time before Spot goes out again.’ They never felt much security when they were out, for at any moment the door of the Conant house might open and the monster might come out. ‘Anyway, he can’t climb trees,’ said Oxford, ‘and there are a lot of them about.’ As the days passed and nothing happened, they grew less and less afraid of their enemy and more and more confident, and there was always the excitement of sitting at the kitchen windows and looking across at Spot as he sat at his window. Sometimes they saw Mrs. Conant pass the window with Spot frisking along by her side. She would wave her hand as she passed. It was the season of the year when her pretty pink dress seemed to Sally more suitable to the weather than her own coat of fur. Sally felt sure that some day there would be a meeting between herself and Spot. She did not know why she felt so sure of this. When she spoke of her fears to Oxford, he said: ‘How silly you are, Sally. All you have to do is to stay close by me, and I will defend you with my good right paw.’ ‘I am sure you would,’ said Sally, ‘but sometimes you go off on journeys. I can’t stay shut up in the house all day when you go on a journey.’ ‘Of course, I can’t give up all my pleasure trips to stay at home and protect you. The only safe thing is never to go out unless you see that impudent scoundrel’s face in the window. When he’s in, he can’t be out.’ ‘But he might suddenly be let out,’ said Sally. And this was exactly what did happen one bright day in early June when Oxford was away for a day or two. Sally saw Spot in the window and she mewed to be let out. She mewed and mewed until even Miss Winifred heard. The others were at the top of the house. They could hear her, but it was a long way to come down just for Sally. ‘Poor pussy,’ said Miss Winifred, as she opened the kitchen door. ‘What do you want?’ Sally mewed again in her strong voice and went to the outside door. ‘Do you want to go out?’ said Miss Winifred, as she opened the screen door.