CHAPTER FOURTEEN ON DOGS 



Having for many years been a great collector of living 

 pets, there is always a vast number of these hangers-on 

 about the house — some useful, some ornamental, and some 

 neither the one nor the other. 



Oppositeonewindowofthe room lam in at present area 

 monkey and five dogs basking in the sun, a bloodhound, a 

 Skye terrier, a setter, a Russian poodle, and a youngNew- 

 foundland bitch, who is being educated as a retriever; they 

 all live in great friendship with themonkey, who isnow in the 

 mostabsurd manner searching the poodle'scoat for fleas, lift- 

 ing up curlbycurl,andexaminingtheroots ofthehair. Occa- 

 sionally, if she thinks that she has pulled the hair, or lifted 

 one of his legs rather too roughly, she looks the dog in the 

 face with an inquiring expression to see if he is angry. The 

 dog, however, seems rather to enjoy the operation, and 

 showingno symptoms of displeasure,the monkey continues 

 her search, and when she sees a flea catches it in the most 

 active manner, looks at it for a moment, and then eats it 

 with great relish. Having exhausted the game on the 

 poodle,she jumps on the back of the bloodhound bitch, and 

 having looked into her face to see how she will bear it, be- 

 gins a new search, but finding nothing, goes off for a game 

 at romps with the Newfoundland dog. While the blood- 

 hound bitch, hearing the voice of one of the children, whom 

 she has taken a particular fancy to, walks off to the nursery, 

 thesetterliesdozinganddreamingof grouse; while the little 

 terrier sits with ears pricked up, listening to any distant 

 sounds of dog or man that she may hear; occasionally she 

 trots off on three legs to look at the back door of the house, 

 for fear any rat-hunt or fun of that sort may take place with- 

 i8i 



