210 DOGS 



animal, with soft, lustrous eyes like those of a 

 roe deer. He was timid, and seemed to know that 

 his beauty was a danger ; at any rate, however 

 briskly I stepped out after missing him, I always 

 found him in waiting at the door. His lustrous 

 eyes were intelligent, and in some ways he was 

 sharp, but in others provokingly stupid. If I 

 slammed a field gate, barred close to the ground, 

 in his face, with a stift" hedge matted at the roots 

 on either side, he would never make a detour to 

 scramble through somewhere else, unless there 

 was a companion to give him a lead. He would 

 simply whine and struggle at the bars till he gave 

 up in despair and went back. On principle I never 

 helped him, though it is hopeless to teach an old 

 dog new tricks. On the other hand, the most ac- 

 complished burglar was never cleverer at getting 

 into strange houses. On the rare occasions when 

 I make afternoon calls, my dogs are trained to wait 

 on the steps or the gravel. Poly's impatience or 

 affection would get the better of him after a time. 

 There was one great rambling mansion, shut in by 

 garden doors and yew hedges, where the people, to 

 their misfortune, detested dogs, and consequently 

 I was extra particular in the orders to mine. One 

 day I made some civil apology for bringing them, 

 but said they were all right outside, and there was 

 no fear of their intrusion. The door opened, the 

 servants brought in the tea-tray, followed by Poly 

 wagging his tail. He must have sneaked round, 

 forced the kitchen door, threaded a perfect labyrinth 



