My eyes were all for Rocky, but he was not looking 

 my way, and when the next remark came, and my heart 

 jumped and my hands and feet moved of their own 

 accord, his face was turned quite away from me 

 towards the man on his left. 



" An' it's jus' the same 'ith huntin' ! It looks 

 so blamed easy he reckons it don't need any teachin'. 

 Well, let him try ! Leave him run on his own till his 

 boots is walked off an' he's like to set down and cry, 

 ef he wasn't 'shamed to ; let him know every pur- 

 tickler sort o' blamed fool he can make of himself ; 

 an' then he's fit ter teach, 'cause he'll listen, an' watch, 

 an' learn an' say thank ye fer it ! Mostly you got 

 ter make a fool o' yourself once or twice ter know 

 what it feels like an' how t' avoid it : best do it 

 young it teaches a boy ; but it kind o' breaks a man 

 up!" 



I kept my eyes on Rocky, avoiding the others, 

 fearing that a look or word might tempt some one to 

 rub it in ; and it was a relief when the old man 

 naturally and easily picked up his original point and, 

 turning another look on Jess, said : 



" You got ter begin on the pup. It ain't her 

 fault ; it's yours. She's full up o' the right stuff, 

 but she got no show to larn ! Dawgs is all 

 different, good an' bad just like men : some larns 

 quick ; some'll never larn. But thar ain't any too 

 plucky ! " 



He tossed a chip of green wood into the heart of 

 the fire and watched it spurtle and smoke, and 

 after quite a long pause, added : 



39 



