noon
At eleven-fifteen Miss Carpenter 's household was thrown into consternation by the scandalous behaviour of her black cat , Caesar , who chose suddenly to terminate a long and outwardly respectable career as Miss Carpenter 's familiar by having kittens under the horse-hair sofa in the parlour . Incidentally this indelicate and ungentlemanly behaviour temporarily unloosed the hinges of Miss Carpenter 's reason , so that my supper suffered that evening , and for several days she wandered round the house with blank and witless eyes . Perhaps I should have warned her , for I had latterly come to suspect Caesar of leading a double life ; but for reasons which seemed sufficient I had refrained . By the noon train Roland Barnette received his new summer suit from Chicago . I did not see it till evening , but heard of it before one , since Roland donned it immediately and wore it to the bank that very afternoon . I understand it caused something very near a run on the bank ; people came in to draw a dollar or so or get change and lingered to feast their outraged visions , so that Blinky Lockwood , the president , had to send Roland home to change before closing-time . He changed back , however , as soon as off duty , and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hours in Sothern and Lee 's , at the soda-fountain ; which Sothern and Lee did not object to , since it drew trade .