pass upon Turk's property as my Leicestershire cousin, and Turk laid
her dead on the spot. It is impossible to describe my grief when the case
was made known to me at five o'clock in the evening, by a man's holding
out the little creature dead: she that I had left so full of glorious
life--life which even in a kitten is infinite--was now stretched in
motionless repose. I remember that there was a large coal stack in the
yard. I dropped my Latin books, sat down upon a huge block of coal, and
burst into a passion of tears. The man, struck with my tumultuous grief,
hurried into the house; and from the lower regions deployed instantly the
women of the laundry and the kitchen. No one subject is so absolutely
sacred, and enjoys so _classical_ a sanctity among girls, as 1. Grief; and
2. Love which is unfortunate. All the young women took me up in their arms
and kissed me; and last of all, an elderly who was the cook, not only
kissed me, but wept so audibly, from some suggestion doubtless of grief
personal to herself, that I threw my arms about her neck and kissed _her_
also. It is probable, as I now suppose, some account of my grief for my
sister had reached them. Else I was never allowed to visit _their_ region
of the house. But, however _that_ might be, afterwards it struck me, that
if I had met with so much sympathy, or with any sympathy at all, from the
servant chiefly connected with myself in the desolating grief I had
suffered, possibly I should not have been so profoundly shaken.

But did I in the mean time feel anger towards Turk? Not the least. And the
reason was this:--My guardian, who taught me Latin, was in the habit of
coming over and dining at my mother's table whenever he pleased. On these
occasions he, who like myself pitied _dependant_ animals, went invariably
into the yard of the offices, taking me with him, and unchained the dogs.
There were two--_Grim_, a mastiff, and _Turk_, our young friend. My
guardian was a bold athletic man, and delighted in dogs. He told me, which
also my own heart told me, that these poor dogs languished out their lives
under this confinement. The moment that I and my guardian (_ego et rex
meus_) appeared in sight of the two kennels, it is impossible to express
the joy of the dogs. Turk was usually restless; Grim slept away his life
in surliness. But at the sight of us--of my little insignificant self and
my six-foot guardian--both dogs yelled with delight. We unfastened their
chains w