Jerry's Dogs <^ -o -^> ^> "^ 



(From The Old Curiosity Shop) 



'"PHESE were no other than four very dismal 

 ■*- dogs, who came pattering in one after the 

 other, headed by an old bandy dog of particularly 

 mournful aspect, who, stopping when the last of 

 his followers had got as far as the door, erected 

 himself upon his hind legs and looked round at 

 his companions, who immediately stood upon 

 their hind legs, in a grave and melancholy row. 

 Nor was this the one remarkable circumstance 

 about these dogs, for each of them wore a kind 

 of little coat of some gaudy colour trimmed with 

 tarnished spangles, and one of them had a cap 

 upon his head, tied very carefully under his chin, 

 which had fallen down upon his nose and com- 

 pletely obscured one eye ; add to this, that the 

 gaudy coats were all wet through and discoloured 

 with rain, and that the wearers were splashed and 

 dirty, and some idea may be formed of the 

 unusual appearance of these new visitors to the 

 Jolly Sandboys. 



Neither Short nor the Landlord nor Thomas 

 Codlin, however, was in the least surprised, 

 merely remarking that these were Jerry's dogs, 

 and that Jerry could not be far behind. So 



182 



