40 Studies in Rat Catching, [ch. ii. 



and sit before the fire and chat with 

 me ; but, then, such dogs have established 

 characters, and nothing can spoil them ; 

 besides, they are wise beasts with a vast 

 experience, and I can learn a lot from them. 

 It was from one of these I learnt all about 

 the prigging policeman. 



A young dog is never good for much who 

 is allowed to run wild ; every one is his 

 master and he obeys no one, and when he is 

 taken out he is dull and stupid, thinking more 

 of the kitchen scraps than of business. No, 

 when I go to work, I like to let the dogs 

 out myself, to see them dash about, dance 

 around, jump up at me and bark with 

 joy. I like to see the young ones topple 

 each other over in sport, and the old ones 

 gallop on ahead to the four crossways, and 

 stand there watching to see which way I 

 am going, and then, when I give them the 

 direction with a wave of the hand, bolt off 



