`` William Adolphus can protect himself . '' William Adolphus could and did . He humped his back , flattened his ears , swore once , and then made a flying leap for Mr. Riley . William Adolphus landed squarely on Mr. Riley 's brindled back and promptly took fast hold , spitting and clawing and caterwauling . You never saw a more astonished dog than Mr. Riley . With a yell of terror he bolted out to the kitchen , out of the kitchen into the hall , through the hall into the room , and so into the kitchen and round again . With each circuit he went faster and faster , until he looked like a brindled streak with a dash of black and white on top . Such a racket and commotion I never heard , and I laughed until the tears came into my eyes . Mr. Riley flew around and around , and William Adolphus held on grimly and clawed . Alexander Abraham turned purple with rage . `` Woman , call off that infernal cat before he kills my dog , '' he shouted above the din of yelps and yowls . `` Oh , he wo n't kill min , '' I said reassuringly , `` and he 's going too fast to hear me if I did call him . If you can stop the dog , Mr. Bennett , I 'll guarantee to make William Adolphus listen to reason , but there 's no use trying to argue with a lightning flash . '' Alexander Abraham made a frantic lunge at the brindled streak as it whirled past him , with the result that he overbalanced himself and went sprawling on the floor with a crash . I ran to help him up , which only seemed to enrage him further . `` Woman , '' he spluttered viciously , `` I wish you and your fiend of a cat were in -- in -- '' `` In Avonlea , '' I finished quickly , to save Alexander Abraham from committing profanity . `` So do I , Mr. Bennett , with all my heart . But since we are not , let us make the best of it like sensible people . And in future you will kindly remember that my name is Miss MacPherson , NOT Woman ! '' With this the end came and I was thankful , for the noise those two animals made was so terrific that I expected the policeman would be rushing in , smallpox or no smallpox , to see if Alexander Abraham and I were trying to murder each other .
Mr. Riley suddenly veered XXXXX his mad career and bolted into a dark corner between the stove and the wood-box , William Adolphus let go just in time .
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