"In gentleness David compares ill with Porthos. For whereas the one
shoves and has been known to kick on slight provocation, the other, who
is noisily hated of all small dogs by reason of his size, remonstrates
not, even when they cling in froth and fury to his chest, but carries
them along tolerantly until they drop off from fatigue. Again,
David will not unbend when in the company of babies, expecting them
unreasonably to rise to his level, but contrariwise Porthos, though
terrible to tramps, suffers all things of babies, even to an exploration
of his mouth in an attempt to discover what his tongue is like at
the other end. The comings and goings of David are unnoticed by
perambulators, which lie in wait for the advent of Porthos. The strong
and wicked fear Porthos but no little creature fears him, not the
hedgehogs he conveys from place to place in his mouth, nor the sparrows
that steal his straw from under him.

"In proof of which gentleness I adduce his adventure with the rabbit.
Having gone for a time to reside in a rabbit country Porthos was elated
to discover at last something small that ran from him, and developing
at once into an ecstatic sportsman he did pound hotly in pursuit, though
always over-shooting the mark by a hundred yards or so and wondering
very much what had become of the rabbit. There was a steep path, from
the top of which the rabbit suddenly came into view, and the practice of
Porthos was to advance up it on tiptoe, turning near the summit to
give me a knowing look and then bounding forward. The rabbit here did
something tricky with a hole in the ground, but Porthos tore onwards in
full faith that the game was being played fairly, and always returned
panting and puzzling but glorious.

"I sometimes shuddered to think of his perplexity should he catch the
rabbit, which however was extremely unlikely; nevertheless he did catch
it, I know not how, but presume it to have been another than the one of
which he was in chase. I found him with it, his brows furrowed in the
deepest thought. The rabbit, terrified but uninjured, cowered beneath
him. Porthos gave me a happy look and again dropped into a weighty frame
of mind. 'What is the next thing one does?' was obviously the puzzle
with him, and the position was scarcely less awkward for the rabbit,
which several times made a move to end this intolerable suspense.
Whereupon Porthos immediately gave it a warning tap with his foot, and
again fell to pond