e bread
at all, but felt it would be ungracious to refuse, so I ate it slowly,
in order that he might see that I only did it out of politeness. He
understood this also, and seemed quite willing to let me stay in his
shop, so I sat down, with my face to the door, to show that I only
asked his protection. This he gave me, and indeed encouraged me to
come into the house itself, giving me a corner where I might sleep,
without being in anybody's way.

The kindness heaped on me by this excellent man was far greater than I
could ever have expected. He was always affectionate in his manner of
treating me, and I shared his breakfast, dinner and supper, while, on
my side, I gave him all the gratitude and attachment to which he had a
right.

I sat with my eyes fixed on him, and he never left the house without
having me at his heels; and if it ever happened that when he was
preparing to go out I was asleep, and did not notice, he would call
"Rufus, Rufus," for that was the name he gave me.

Some weeks passed in this way, when one day a woman came in to buy
bread. In paying for it, she laid down several pieces of money, one of
which was bad. The baker perceived this, and declined to take it,
demanding another in its place. The woman, for her part, refused to
take it back, declaring it was perfectly good, but the baker would have
nothing to do with it. "It is really such a bad imitation," he
exclaimed at last, "that even my dog would not be taken in. Here
Rufus! Rufus!" and hearing his voice, I jumped on to the counter. The
baker threw down the money before me, and said, "Find out if there is a
bad coin." I looked at each in turn, and then laid my paw on the false
one, glancing at the same time at my master, so as to point it out.

The baker, who had of course been only in joke, was exceedingly
surprised at my cleverness, and the woman, who was at last convinced
that the man spoke the truth, produced another piece of money in its
place. When she had gone, my master was so pleased that he told all
the neighbours what I had done, and made a great deal more of it than
there really was.

The neighbours, very naturally, declined to believe his story, and
tried me several times with all the bad money they could collect
together, but I never failed to stand the test triumphantly.

Soon, the shop was filled from morning till night, with people who on
the pretence of buying bread came to see if I was as clever as I was
rep