$94 
ever. Let us, therefore, make the 
best of it. In what part of the 
house do you sleep =” 
¢ Close at the head of your lord- 
ship’s bed,’’ answered the domestic, 
‘¢ im a little closet, slip side of a 
room by the stairs. “There, my 
lord,” added the servant, pointing 
to a small door on the right. 
“¢ Then go to bed. | We are not 
wholly without means of defence, 
you know, and which ever of us 
shall be first alarmed may apprize 
the other. At the same time, all 
this may be nothing more than the 
work of our own fancies.’” 
The anxi¢ty of the dog, during 
this conversation, is not to be ex- 
pressed. On the servant leaving the 
room, in obedience to his master’s 
commands, the dog hastily ran’ to 
the door, as if in hopes his lordship 
would follow, and looked as if to 
entice him so to do. 
Upon lord C.’s advancing a few 
steps, the vigilant creature leaped 
up with every sign of satisfaction ; 
but when he found those steps were 
directed to the door only to close 
it, his dejeétion was depitted in a 
manner no less tively than had been 
his joy. 
He returned into the chamber 
under the most visible distress, then 
ran toa corner of ‘the room, and 
there seated himself ; but still trem- 
bling in every limb. Presently he 
rose, and gding to another part of 
the room near the door of ‘a closet, 
seemed somewhat composed, and at 
length Jaid down. 
It was scarcely possible not to be’ 
more or less impressed by these un- 
accountable circumstances, yet his 
lordship was almost ashamed of 
yielding to them, and finding all 
quiet, both above and below, ex- 
cept the noise of the wind and rain, 
=) 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1803. 
and ‘finding that no caresses could’ 
draw the dog from the part of the 
room he had chosen, lord C. made 
a bed for the poor fellow with one. 
of the mats which were in licu of 
foot carpets, and then sought re- 
pose himseif. 
Neither the dog, however, nor 
the master could rest; the former 
rose often, and paced about the 
room ; sometimes he came close to 
the: bed) curtains, and sometimes. 
whined piteously, although the hand 
of reconciliation was put forth to 
soothe him. 
In the course of an hour after 
this, his lordship, wearied with con- 
jecture, fell asleep 5 but he was 
aroused by his® four-footed friend, 
whom he heard scratching violently 
at the closet door: an aétion which 
was accompanied by the gnashing of 
the dog’s teeth, intermixed with the 
most furious growlings: 
Lord C. who had long laid him- 
self down ‘in his cloaths, and lite. 
rally resting on his arms~his brace 
of pistols being under his pillow— 
now sprung from his bed. ‘The rain 
had ceased, and the wind abated, 
from which circumstances he hoped 
to hear better what was passing. 
But nothing, for an instant, ap- 
peased the rage of the dog, who, 
finding his paws unabiec to force a 
passage ‘into ‘the closet, put his teeth 
to a small aperture at the bottom, 
and attempted to’ gnaw away the 
obstruction. There could be no 
longer a doubt that the cause of 
the mischief or danger, whatsoever 
it might be, lay in'that closet. Yet 
there appeared some risque in open- 
ing it; more particularly when, on 
trying to force the lock, it was found 
to be secured by some ‘fastening on 
the inside. 
A knocking was now heard at 
the 
