Don't really have anything to add, BUT . . .

I got a comment:

Mrs. Perry: So I was right in my guess of who you were, not like there was much doubt. After all, I do know all. But anyway, I would like you to know that I have never met a dog I didn't like (except for one but he was more like a wolf than a dog). And Cinder, of course, is no exception. After all, how can you not like (or at least feel sympathy for) a dog that has only two paws? It thaws my heart . . . and my stupid poetry. Anyway, it's true that you haven't turned my grade in yet, but I can think of it this way: if I fail, then I get to take the class again. And I get to flatter you some more with that assessment of the situation.