somethin'."

"Capital--a breastplate! Just the thing!" cried Jack, seizing it, and
whistling to Dumps.

"And here's a first-rate helmet," said Harry, producing a toy drum with
the heads out.

The strong contrast between my doggie's conditions of grigginess and
humiliation has already been referred to. Aware that something unusual
was pending, he crawled towards Jack with every hair trailing in lowly
submission. Poor Joan of Arc might have had a happier fate if she had
been influenced by a similar spirit!

"Now, sir, stand up on your hind-legs."

The already well-trained and obedient creature obeyed.

"There," he said, tying the lid to his hairy bosom; "and there," he
continued, thrusting the drum on his meek head, which it fitted exactly;
"now, Madame Joan, come away--the fagots are ready."

With Harry's aid, and to the ineffable joy of Jenny, Job, and Dolly, the
little dog was carefully bound to the leg of a small table, and bits of
broken toys--of which there were heaps--were piled round it for fagots.

"Don't be c'uel," said Dolly tenderly.

"Oh no, we won't be cruel," said Jack, who was really anxious to
accomplish the whole execution without giving pain to the victim. The
better to arrange some of the fastenings he clambered on the table.
Dolly, always anxious to observe what was being done, attempted to do
the same. Jenny, trying to prevent her, pulled at her skirts, and among
them they pulled the table over on themselves. It fell with a dire
crash.

Of course there were cries and shouts from the children, but these were
overtopped and quickly silenced by the hideous yellings of Dumps. Full
many a time had the poor dog given yelp and yell in that nursery when
accidentally hurt, and as often had it wagged its forgiving tail and
licked the patting hands of sympathy; but now the yells were loud and
continuous, the patting hands were snapped at, and Dumps refused to be
comforted. His piercing cries reached my study. I sprang up-stairs and
dashed into the nursery, where the eccentric five were standing in a
group, with looks of self-condemning horror in their ten round eyes, and
almost equally expressive round mouths.

The reason was soon discovered--poor Dumps had got a hind-leg broken!

Having ascertained the fact, alleviated the pain as well as I could, and
bandaged the limb, I laid my doggie tenderly in the toy bed belonging to
Jenny's largest doll, which was quickly and heartily given up for