Kitty snickered, and she started walking home again. Boy was there going to be some explaining to do once Mr. McCleary saw the dog. It was likely "cause" for punishment, should she take defending the creature too far, but who could know?
Dry cleaning wasn't to be done for another few hours, so she found herself outside with a hose and some soapy water, giving the mutt a good scrubbing in the meantime. Kitty avoided letting him into the house, only disappearing inside once to place the now-stainless shirts on the table. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the yard, waiting for darkness to finally arrive.