At night Bertie takes the cat and drives up to the Cook residence, leaving his car half-way to walk the rest unseen. But on approaching the stables he slips and falls into the reeking mud and is welcomed by a loud barking dog, alerting two people to his presence who take him to the house, where the butler says that a smelly person like that is cannot be presented to mr Cook and that they should lock him up in one of the stables, with which they comply. Left alone in the stable Bertie stumbles around and finds the door not locked, so he gets out to return to his car and in the dark unexpectedly steps into a swimming-pool. Staying in for a while to get rid of the disgreeing mud smell someone else suddenly plunges in beside him, in whom he recognizes Orlo Porter. Orlo tells him that when he left the house after an unsuccessful talk with mr Cook and major Plank he was chased by a dog causing him to jump in the pool. Both men get out and Orlo decides to walk back to the Goose and Grasshopper, while Bertie locates his car and drives back to his cottage, where he is welcomed by the cat.