most valuable and beautiful of his kind." 

 Diogenes has, at any rate, one advantage over 

 most pedigree dogs : he is immortal. 

 S8 As to the virtue of mongrels, then, I think, 

 we can agree. " Bu,t," says the owner of the 

 " yard-dog," with the air of one who is scor- 

 ing an undeniable point, " you are trying to 

 undog my dog and everybody else's. After 

 all he is a dog, and not a human being, and 

 Nature, who formed him to be an outdoor 

 guardian, obviously did not intend him to 

 be the questionable ornament of a room. 

 Remember that your immortal Diogenes 

 ' bounced into the room, dived under all the 

 furniture, and wound a long iron chain, that 

 dangled from his neck, round legs of chairs 

 and tables . . . and went pell-mell at Tow- 

 linson, morally convinced that he was the 

 enemy whom he had barked at round the 

 corner all his life and never seen yet.' What 

 have you to say to that ? Is that a dog for a 

 drawing-room?" 

 92 Softly, my good friend, say I. As to Dio- 



12 



