considered he ought to have been
consulted previously. But, as soon as he had seen the lady, he withdrew
all opposition--which his master declared was a tremendous load off his
mind, for Pepper was rather a difficult dog, and slow as a rule to take
strangers into his affections, a little snappy and surly, and very
easily hurt or offended. Don't you know dogs who are sensitive like
that? _I_ do, and I'm always so sorry for them--they feel little things
so much, and one never can find out what's the matter, and have it out
with them! Sometimes it's shyness; once I had a dog who was quite
painfully shy--self-consciousness it was really, I suppose, for he
always fancied everybody was looking at him, and often when people were
calling he would come and hide his face in the folds of my dress till
they had gone--it was too ridiculous! But about Pepper. He was devoted
to his new mistress from the very first. I am not sure that she was
quite so struck with him, for he was not at all a lady's dog, and his
manners had been very much neglected. Still, she came quite to like him
in time; and when they were married, Pepper went with them for the
honeymoon.'

'_When they were married!_' I glanced at the card which lay half-hidden
by her plate. Surely _Miss_ So-and-so was written on it?--yes, it was
certainly 'Miss.' It was odd that such a circumstance should have
increased my enjoyment of the story, perhaps--but it undoubtedly did.

'After the honeymoon,' my neighbour continued, 'they came to live in the
new house, which was quite a tiny one, and Pepper was a very important
personage in it indeed. He had his mistress all to himself for the
greater part of most days, as his master had to be away in town; so she
used to talk to him intimately, and tell him more than she would have
thought of confiding to most people. Sometimes, when she thought there
was no fear of callers coming, she would make him play, and this was
quite a new sensation for Pepper, who was a serious-minded animal, and
took very solemn views of life. At first he hadn't the faintest idea
what was expected of him; it must have been rather like trying to romp
with a parish beadle, he was so intensely respectable! But as soon as he
once grasped the notion and understood that no liberty was intended, he
lent himself to it readily enough and learnt to gambol quite creditably.
Then he was made much of in all sorts of ways; she washed him twice a
week with her very own hands