IN BOOKS AND REAL LIFE 191 



people. He made an immense fortune, though he 

 was unlucky enough to lose it. He was honoured 

 by the most learned and the noblest in the land. 

 But next to his children, he delighted in his dogs, 

 and however hard he might be writing, his doors 

 were never closed to one or the other. In the 

 country, whether at Ashestiel or Abbotsford, his 

 window was always open, so that they might go 

 freely out and in. When his famous deerhound 

 Maida lived, Maida always mounted guard in his 

 study ; when Maida was off duty, he was relieved 

 by Hintee, a solemn cat. As great a favourite was 

 the bulldog Camp ; and when Camp died in Edin- 

 burgh of old age and infirmities, Scott buried him 

 with his own hands in the back garden, and de- 

 clined an invitation to dinner on account of the 

 loss of a dear old friend. He had dogs of all 

 sorts, and when he went out for a ride or a walk, 

 he was always attended by a canine tail — a " tail " 

 was the retinue of the old Highland chief. There 

 were deerhounds for show and beauty and saga- 

 city ; there were greyhounds for coursing, of which 

 he was very fond ; there were setters and pointers 

 for his guests to shoot over ; and there was always 

 a tagrag-and-bobtail of terriers, which I believe 

 amused him the most. He tells how the stately 

 old Maida was tempted " into frolics with the 

 youngsters, but when he caught his master's eye, 

 fell back upon his dignity, seeming to say, ^* Ha' 

 done now ; cease your fooling." He studied those 

 dogs as he studied human nature. He mentions 



