156 Little Byron 



her to have a romantic name for him, and the name 

 suited the little fellow just as well as if it had been 

 Jack or Terry. And then she tried to train him, 

 to subdue his restless spirit. At first she used sharp 

 words, then harsh commands, then a whip. It would 

 have been as easy to tame the waves of the sea. 

 The restless blood within his veins could only be 

 quieted by exercise and life. Then she turned him 

 over to the servants. If his life had been tiresome 

 before, it was wretched now. Had the little terrier 

 been the property of the servants, they would have 

 treated him less harshly, perhaps sometimes even 

 kindly ; but he belonged to the mistress, and they 

 felt no love for him. He was fed well enough, but 

 he never heard a kind word, and was continually 

 beaten 'and kicked about. But in spite of all this 

 harshness and abuse, his natural vivacity kept him 

 up, and he thrived wonderfully. 



One day Mrs. Merton determined to take him 

 out with her for a walk on the Avenue. He was 

 decorated as carefully as if dressed for a reception, 

 and was glad enough to go. And then the trouble 

 began. Mrs. Merton walked in a stately manner : 



