th white eyes, black-and-tan ears, and tail as
long and smooth as a policeman's night-club;--one of those sleek and
shining dogs with powerful chest and knotted legs, a little bowed in
front, black lips, and dazzling, fang-like teeth. He was spattered with
brown spots, and sported a single white foot. Altogether, he was a dog of
quality, of ancestry, of a certain position in his own land,--one who had
clearly followed his master's mountain wagon to-day as much for love of
adventure as anything else. A dog of parts, too, who could perhaps, hunt
the wild boar, or give chase to the agile deer. He was certainly not an
inn dog. He was rather a palace dog, a chateau, or a shooting-box dog,
who, in his off moments, trotted behind hunting carts filled with guns,
sportsmen in knee-breeches, or in front of landaus when my lady went
an-airing.

And with all this, and quite naturally, he was a dog of breeding, who,
while he insisted on his own rights, respected those of others. I saw this
before he had spoken ten words to the concierge,--the St. Bernard dog, I
mean. For he did talk to him, and the conversation was just as plain to
me, tilted back against the wall, out of the sun, waiting for my cutlets
and coffee, as if I had been a dog myself, and understood each word of it.

First, he walked up sideways, his tail wagging and straight out, like a
patent towel-rack. Then he walked round the concierge, who followed his
movements with becoming interest, wagging his own tail, straightening his
forelegs, and sidling around him kindly, as befitted the stranger's rank
and quality, but with a certain dog-independence of manner, preserving his
own dignities while courteously passing the time of day, and intimating,
by certain twists of his tail, that he felt quite sure his excellency
would like the air and scenery the farther he got up the pass,--all
strange dogs did.

During this interchange of canine civilities, the landlord was helping out
the two men, the companions of the dog. One was round and pudgy, the other
lank and scrawny. Both were in knickerbockers, with green hats decorated
with cock feathers and edelweiss. The blue-shirted porter carried in the
bags and alpenstocks, closing the coffee-room door behind them.

Suddenly the strange dog, who had been beguiled by the courteous manner of
the concierge, realized that his master had disappeared. The man had been
hungry, no doubt, and half blinded by the glare of the sun. After the