gone; poor Schwein, too, had departed; and Bruin's
fine clothes and altered condition entirely precluded at present a
return to his former associates. Society, he felt, he must have, and
upon his choice now depended his future fortunes. It was whilst this
necessity was pressing on his brain that one morning, when lolling in
all the indolence of ignorance allied to wealth, he was surprised at
the appearance of a diminutive spaniel, admitted by his porter, who,
dressed in a rich scarlet livery, bore a letter in his belt, which he
presented with a certain fawning grace to our hero, and hastily
departed. This was the first epistle that worthy had ever held in his
own paws, so it may well be judged he was but little prepared to
investigate its contents. He turned it over and over, and then put it to
his nose, for the scent which it emitted was pleasant to his sense of
smell; but still this gave him no hint at its meaning. Never before had
he felt the annoyance which a want of education inevitably causes; but
now that it did strike him, instead of arousing his energies to cure so
serious a defect,--a cure, too, which he could under present
circumstances so easily accomplish,--it only moved his anger to think
that the little scrap of paper which he held in his paw, and which he
could without the slightest effort crush into nothingness, withheld its
secrets from him, whilst every mincing puppy in the streets could
command its every word. Ah, Master Bruin! Master Bruin! you are not the
first to make the discovery that knowledge is superior to brute force.
Angry or not, he wished to know the meaning of the note; and summoning
to his presence one who had managed to procure the chief place in his
household, cunning Fox as he was, he commanded that worthy to read its
contents aloud. Fox obeyed, not at all displeased that he should be
selected for this duty, as he foresaw, from the so-called Count's
ignorance, that he would be able at a future period to turn his intimate
knowledge of his master's secrets to good account. He, therefore, read
as follows:--

"You may believe I must be actuated by a strong feeling in your
favour, when I thus forget what is due to my sex and rank, and
overcome all the prejudices which canine society builds up as a
barrier to intercourse with foreigners. I confess it; the feeling
_is_ a strong one: but I rely on your honour to save me from the
ill effects my imprudence might