86 STORIES OF 1URDS AND BEASTS 



must have been four feet and a half from nose tip to 

 root of tail. Ah, yes, you handle the empty skin freely 

 enough ; but give it life, let the strong white dog teeth 

 snap in its jaws, the bright eyes gleam, and its long- 

 drawn howl come from the black lips, and you would 

 not stay near it long. If it only could speak ! " said 

 the Doctor, pausing and looking at the fire. 



" Wough-ow-ow owou-ough," sounded a weird voice 

 outside the door. " Wough-oble-oble-oble-ough-o-u- 

 gooow ! " 



" Horrors, what is that ? " cried Olive, startled from 

 her usual calmness. 



" It's Wolves ! " screamed Nat and Rap. 



" A whole pack, but they've come for bacon scraps, 

 they don't want us," shivered Dodo, trying to seem 

 brave. 



Even the Doctor was a little startled, but the sus- 

 pense only lasted a moment. It was broken by a ring- 

 ing laugh which, even before he came in, they all knew 

 belonged to Mr. Blake. 



" Oh, daddy ! daddy ! " said Dodo, " I didn't know ! 

 How can you be such an intimate friend of Wolves 

 that you could cry their cry, when uncle says they 

 have no friends ? " 



u I'm not sure that I am a friend of theirs either," 

 said Mr. Blake, throwing himself down on the wolf- 

 skin rug; u but I've been among them where they live, 

 and have heard their talk, and have seen their work." 



" Tell them your story of this Wolf skin, then," said 

 the Doctor ; so after thinking for a few moments, Mr. 

 Blake began : 



" Every one knows the name of Wolf. This animal 



