hulking chap, isn't he? Well, all right; make it up then, and
give him a good-bye lick. I don't think you've much else to give
now, anyway, but the warmth of your body."

But the good, patient little sheep-dog had already placed herself
at the grey whelp's voracious disposal, and he was pounding and
tugging away at her in his usual merciless style. Then, when she
went dutifully to lick the rascal, he thrust at her strongly with
his great strong legs, and the Master, who had been standing,
smoking and watching, said--

"Come along, little shepherd. That's good-bye."

And that was the last Finn saw of any foster-mother. That was the
end of babyhood, and the beginning of childhood for Finn. He slept
alone that night, and found it rather awesome during the few
minutes in which his eyes were open, between the last lapped meal
at ten o'clock and the first of the next day, when the Master came
to him at five-thirty. The Master held that if you would breed a
really exceptional hound, you must be prepared to take really
exceptional trouble over the task, since a chance lost in the first
half year of your hound's life, is lost for good and all.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER V

YOUTH BESIDE THE DOWNS

Finn did not have more than one solitary night for the present. His
great bed in the coach-house, which was twelve feet long by six
feet broad, was shared the next night by the other three puppies,
who had seen the last of their foster-mother that morning. They
whimpered a little after the last night meal, when they found
themselves bereft of maternal attention, and this gave Finn an
opportunity for indulging in a certain amount of swagger on the
strength of his previous night's experience. He had already adopted
the air of a dog accustomed to go his own way and to sleep alone.
Also, he regarded the coach-house bed as his own, and the other
puppies as youngsters only admitted to that place by his courtesy.
Thus from the very outset, here as elsewhere, he gave his comrades
to understand that he was master, and that no one must presume to
trespass upon any quarter which he took up as his own. All day long
the four puppies had the run of the shed in the orchard, which was
kept wide open. If a shower of rain came, they were bustled into
this place by the Mistress of the Kennels, and there the most of
their nine daily meals were served to them.

Nine meals in a day seems a very large number, but this was part of
the Master