MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 
their unexpected meeting, he deign- 
ed to make a return to his offered 
kindness: and, on his lordship’s re- 
peating some terms of fondness with 
which, in times past, he had been 
familiar, he licked the hand from 
whose endearments he had been so 
long estranged. 
But he still held firm to his pur- 
pose. Nor did Cocles more brave- 
ly defend the bridge, when he op- 
posed the whole army of Porsenna ; 
nor Leonidas, the straits of Ther- 
mopyle ; or even that hero of his 
‘country, who, occupying a narrow 
pass with his two sons, rallied the 
flying army of Scots, and having, 
by his bravery, turned the fortune 
of the day, became “founder of the 
ngble family of Hay, than did onr 
canine hero oppose his master’s 
passing to the chamber. 
Yet the servant was suffered, 
without farther disputing the point, 
to go out, not, however, without 
another growl, though one rather of 
anger than of resistance, and which 
accompanied her with increased 
fierceness all the way down stairs, 
which she descended With the same 
strange kind of hurry and confusion 
that had marked her behaviour ever 
since the noble stranger had arrived 
at the inn. And just as the woman 
was at the stairs foot, and passing 
out of sight, the voice of the dog 
was raised to a volley of barking, 
which denoted, at once, indignation 
and contempt. 
“Lord C. was prevented from 
dwelling long on this circumstance 
by attention to the dog, who, with- 
out being solicited farther, went a 
few paces from the threshold of the 
door, at which he had kept guard ; 
and, after caressing his lordship, and 
using every gentle art of affe¢ction- 
893 
ate persuasion, speech alone left 
out, went down once of the stairs, as 
if to persuade his master to accom- 
pany him. And that this was really 
his wish and endeavour, is apparent 
from his impetuously turning round 
and running to resume his station, 
the instant he observed his master, 
as if taking advantage of a favoura- 
ble position, hurry to his now unob- 
structed apartment. 
His lordship had his foot upon 
the threshold when the dog caught 
the skirt of his coat between his 
teeth, and tugged it with great vio- 
lence; and although the disputed 
point was, notwithstanding, thus 
gained by lord C. who entered the 
chamber, the dog, with every token 
of love and of terror, for he now 
appeared to partake the general con- 
fusion of the family, laboured to 
induce him to leave the room. The 
poor animal again renewed his fond- 
ling, rubbed his face foftly along his 
master’s side, sought the patting 
hand, raised his soliciting feet, and 
during these endearing ways, he 
whined and trembled to a degree 
that could not escape the attention 
both of the master and servant. 
‘6 I should suspect,” said his 
lordship, ‘‘ were I apt to credit 
omens, from a connexion betwixt 
the deportment of the people of this 
inn, and the unaccountable solici- 
tude of the dog, that there is some. 
thing wrong about this house.” 
*¢ T have long been of the same 
opinion,” observed the servant, 
“¢ and wish, your honour, we had 
been wet to the skin rather than 
have stopped here.” 
‘¢ It is too late,” rejoined his 
lordship ; ‘‘ neither can we set off 
now, were I disposed: for you hear 
the hurricane is more furious than 
ever. 
