Two brothers, Herbert and James, lived with their mother and a cat named Edgar.
James was particularly attached to the cat. When he had to leave town for several days, he left Herbert meticulous instructions about the pet's care. At the end of his first day away, James telephoned his brother.
"How is Edgar?" he asked.
"Edgar is dead," Herbert answered.
There was a pause. Then James said: "Herbert, you are insensitive. You know how close I was to Edgar—you should have broken the news to me slowly. When I asked about Edgar tonight, you should have said, 'Edgar's on the roof, but you've called the fire department to get him down.' And tomorrow when I called, you could have said the firemen were having trouble getting Edgar down, but you were hopeful they would succeed. Then when I called the third time, you could have told me that the firemen had done their best, but unfortunately Edgar had fallen off the roof and was at the veterinarian's. Then when I called the last time, you could have said that although everything possible had been done for Edgar, he had died. That's the way a sensitive man would have told me about Edgar. And, oh, before I forget," James added, "How is mother?"
"Uh," Herbert said, pausing for a moment, "She is on the roof."