hained to the leg of a table.

Brian wrote that the dog realized his danger, and was grateful as a
human being to his rescuer. His worship of Brian was pathetic. He seemed
to care for no one else, though he was too fine a gentleman not to be
polite to all--all, that is, except Germans. They never dared let him
loose when prisoners were about. The sight of a gray-green uniform was
to that dog what a red rag is to a bull. For him some horror was
associated with it--a horror which must remain a mystery for us.

The day Brian lost his eyesight he lost Sirius. When he came back to
consciousness, only to learn that he was blind, his first thought was of
his friend. No one knew what had happened to the dog. The chances seemed
to be that the shell which had buried Brian had buried Sirius, too; but
Brian wouldn't believe this. Somehow the dog would have contrived to
escape. I had to promise that, whenever I happened to see a dark gray,
almost black Belgian police dog of beautiful shape, I would call
"Sirius" to see if he answered.

More than once since this trip began I've called "Sirius!" to police
dogs, not knowing whether they were Belgian, German, or Dutch, and they
have answered only with glances of superb scorn. This time I hesitated.
The mental picture I saw of myself--a vague young woman, seated in an
automobile stranded by the roadside, trying to lure away the dog of a
strange man--was disconcerting. While I debated whether to break my
promise or behave like a wild school girl, the animal paused in his
listless trot. He stopped, as if he'd been struck by an unseen bullet,
quivered all over, and shot past us like a torpedo. A minute later I
heard a tumultuous barking--a barking as if the gates of a dog's heaven
had suddenly opened.

I sprang up in the car, and turning round, knelt on the seat to see what
was going on behind us. Far away were Brian and Dierdre. And oh, Padre,
I can never dislike that girl again! I apologize for everything I ever
said against her. She saw that great police dog making for blind Brian.
And you know, a police dog can look formidable as a panther. She took no
time to think, though the idea might have sprung to her mind that the
creature was mad. She simply threw herself in front of Brian. It was an
offer of her life for his.

I could do nothing, of course. I was too far off. I'm not a screaming
girl, but I'm afraid I did give a shriek, for Mother Beckett started up,
and cried out: "What's