he said carelessly. “I don't want to put you to any trouble.”

“What day would suit you?”

“What day would suit you?” he corrected me quickly. “I don't want to put you to any trouble, you see.”

“How about the day after tomorrow?” He considered for a moment. Then, with reluctance:

“I want to get the grass cut,” he said.

We both looked at the grass — there was a sharp line where my ragged lawn ended and the darker, well-kept expanse of his began. I suspected that he meant my grass.

“There's another little thing,” he said uncertainly, and hesitated.