dog, still on his hind legs, stood in the centre of the floor
dignified, but evidently expectant.

"That will do; lie down and die. Die this moment, sir." The dog
stretched himself out, closed his eyes, and to all appearance gave up
the ghost. "A most splendid investment," said Waife, with enthusiasm;
"and upon the whole, clog cheap. Ho! you are not to bring up his dinner;
it is not you who are to make friends with the dog; it is my little
girl; send her up; Sophy, Sophy!"

"She be fritted, sir," said the woman, holding a plate of canine
comestibles; "but lauk, sir, bent he really dead?"

"Sophy, Sophy"

"Please let me stay here, Grandy," said Sophy's voice from the foot of
the stairs.

"Nonsense! it is sixteen hours since he has had a morsel to eat. And he
will never bite the hand that feeds him now. Come up, I say."

Sophy slowly reascended, and Waife summoning the poodle to life,
insisted upon the child's feeding him. And indeed, when that act of
charity was performed, the dog evinced his gratitude by a series of
unsophisticated bounds and waggings of the tail, which gradually
removed Sophy's apprehensions, and laid the foundation for that intimate
friendship which is the natural relation between child and dog.

"And how did you come by him?" asked Sophy; "and is this really the--the
INVESTMENT?"

"Shut the door carefully, but see first that the woman is not listening.
Lie down, sir, there, at the feet of the young lady. Good dog! How did
I come by him? I will tell you. The first day we arrived at the village
which we have just left I went into the tobacconist's. While I was
buying my ounce of canaster that dog entered the shop. In his mouth was
a sixpence wrapped in paper. He lifted himself on his hind legs, and
laid his missive on the counter. The shopwoman--you know her, Mrs.
Traill--unfolded the paper and read the order. 'Clever dog that, sir,'
said she. 'To fetch and carry?' said I, indifferently. 'More than that,
sir; you shall see. The order is for two penn'orth of snuff. The dog
knows he is to take back fourpence. I will give him a penny short.' So
she took the sixpence and gave the dog threepence out of it. The dog
shook his head and looked gravely into her face. 'That's all you'll
get,' said she. The dog shook his head again, and tapped his paw once
on the counter, as much as to say, 'I'm not to be done: a penny more,
if you please.' 'If you'll not take that, you shall have nothing,' said
Mrs. Tra