on. By midsummer visitors were coming from afar, some even
from over-sea, to read the quaint inscriptions on the old tombs, or to
lay tributes of flowers on the graves of poets and religious heroes. It
was not until the late end of such a day that Bobby could come out of
hiding to stretch his cramped legs. Then it was that tenement children
dropped from low windows, over the tombs, and ate their suppers of oat
cake there in the fading light.

When Mr. Traill left the kirkyard in the bright evening of the last
Sunday in May he stopped without to wait for Dr. Lee, the minister of
Greyfriars auld kirk, who had been behind him to the gate. Now he was
nowhere to be seen. With Bobby ever in the background of his mind, at
such times of possible discovery, Mr. Traill reentered the kirkyard.
The minister was sitting on the fallen slab, tall silk hat off, with Mr.
Brown standing beside him, uncovered and miserable of aspect, and Bobby
looking up anxiously at this new element in his fate.

"Do you think it seemly for a dog to be living in the churchyard, Mr.
Brown?" The minister's voice was merely kind and inquiring, but the
caretaker was in fault, and this good English was disconcerting.
However, his conscience acquitted him of moral wrong, and his sturdy
Scotch independence came to the rescue.

"Gin a bit dog, wha hands 'is gab, isna seemly, thae pussies are the
deil's ain bairns."

The minister lifted his hand in rebuke. "Remember the Sabbath Day. And I
see no cats, Mr. Brown."

"Ye wullna see ony as lang as the wee doggie is leevin' i' the
kirkyaird. An' the vermin hae sneekit awa' the first time sin' Queen
Mary's day. An' syne there's mair singin' birdies than for mony a year."

Mr. Traill had listened, unseen. Now he came forward with a gay
challenge in broad Scotch to put the all but routed caretaker at his
ease.

"Doctor, I hae a queistion to spier ye. Which is mair unseemly: a
weel-behavin' bittie tyke i' the kirkyaird or a scandalous organ i' the
kirk?"

"Ah, Mr. Traill, I'm afraid you're a sad, irreverent young dog yourself,
sir." The minister broke into a genial laugh. "Man, you've spoiled a bit
of fun I was having with Mr. Brown, who takes his duties 'sairiously."'
He sat looking down at the little dog until Bobby came up to him and
stood confidingly under his caressing hand. Then he added: "I have
suspected for some months that he was living in the churchyard. It is
truly remarkable that an active, noisy li