A TOUR ROUND MY GARDEN. 



"Ah ! thou suppest, dost thou ? Well, come, that is not too savage ; I shall find thee 

 better than thou art reputed to be. I am dying with hunger." 



I made a signal to Varai to get supper ready, and we went into the dining room- 

 The cloth was soon laid. Edmond poured himself out two glasses of wine successively. 

 "What wine is this ? — Bordeaux — Dost thou like Bordeaux? — Hast thou no Burgundy? 



Shall I confess my friend, that I felt myself blush whilst humbly stammering that I 

 had but one sort of wine? And I must tell you all, I was very near making an excuse 

 by saying that my wine-merchants had disappointed me, or some other such subterfuge 

 as is emploped by people in my situation. 



"Why didst thou have thy dining-room of this dark-colored wood? I have a charm- 

 ing one ; it is all in white stucco." 



"That must be very handsome." 



"It is magnificent Upon a mahogany sideboard are Bohemian crystals of the great- 

 est richness. 



At this moment I heard in th3 garden a noise like that made by a wild deer followed by 

 her fawn when roused from a thicket. 



"What can that be in the garden ?" 



"Ah ! cried Edmond, I'll lay a wager it is Phanor." 



"What is Phanor? 



"A superb ^oin^er, an English dog." 



"But he is ruining my garden !" 



I rose in haste. Edmond followed me after finishing what was in his plate, saying 

 partly to himself, "It's very astonishing ! he generally keeps to the walks." When we 

 gained the garden, we could hear a wild chase across the masses of flowers : a cat 

 first appeared followed by a great dog, which Edmnod called to in vain ; the cat dashed 

 into another clump of flowers, and Phanor followed closely at her heels. 



"Ah ! I'm not astonished at it now ; he can't bear cats. Phanor ! Phanor ! here. Sir !" 



The cat jumped over a wall. Phanor sat, eagerly looking after her, at the bottom of 

 it. At length he obeyed the voice of his master; but as he found he had a good 

 chance of being beaten, he slunk back and ran away. 



"In the name of Heaven, Edmond, lay hold of your dog, he will break my best rose 

 trees." 



"Phanor ! come here I'"' 



"But if you show him your cane, he will not come." 



"Ay, hut he must he made to come. Phanor, here ! Phanor, here !" 



"Don't threaten him — call him." 



"I must correct him here on the spot. Come here, Phanor !" 



"Well, but correct him when you have got hold of him." 



"No, no ; he must come in obedience to the cane. Oh, I never let dogs have their 

 own way. Phanor! Phanor, here!" 



The dog took a few steps towards his master, but on seeing the cane, again set off. 

 Edmond, in a rage, threw his cane at the dog, which missed him, but knocked off the 

 head of a lilly in bloom. Edmond now pursued the dog exactly as the dog pursued the 

 cat some minutes before ; both trampling as if in emulation of each other, upon my 

 most beautiful plants. At length, Varai seized the dog in his passage and held him 

 fast. Edmond rushed towards a tree and tore of a large branch. 



"Oh, my Toussaint cherry-ti-oe, wliich ripens its cherries in October !" 



He beat his dog with the finest branch of my cherry-tree. 



"Ah, master Phanor ! I'll teach you to destroy gardens !" 



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