DOGS AT RUGBY 109 



great fame as a stud dog in the subsequent years. He lived 

 with Knight, the Rugby pastrycook, of whom more anon. 

 Another letter, written i5th December 1867, says : 



I shall probably, as I suppose Mr Arrowsmith has told you, 

 bring two dogs home. They are partly broken, and 9 months 

 old. I am going to see them to-morrow week. 



22nd Dec. 1866. 



The dogs are called Russell and Ruin. I have seen them and 

 like them very well. They have only just got over the distemper, 

 and consequently are not so well feathered as they might be. 

 They have no white about them like the others Tom Palliser 

 went to see. I am sure I don't know how I shall get my luggage 

 and dogs home. I have taken a precautionary measure of buying 

 two strong collars and chains. 



The two dogs were young Gordon setters, which I bought, 

 for five pounds each, from Captain Russell-England, who 

 even then had snow-white hair and looked precisely the 

 same age as he has done ever since. Ruin turned out very 

 well indeed, but Russell was useless except at dog shows. 1 



I quote these extracts because they are the first records 

 of dogs in connection with our life at Rugby, and most 

 of my friends became dog-owners as time passed on, as 

 will presently appear. 



Now touching the ghost story . 1 1 happened that , greatly 

 daring, I had introduced a terrier probably Jester 

 into the house one evening, and had him with me in 

 Still's study. There were others present who can verify 

 the story, and Still himself is now a Commissioner for 

 Oaths. The terrier soon began to challenge game under 

 the floor, scratched violently in a corner and became 

 greatly excited. Clearly there were rats underneath, and 

 without more ado we pulled aside the carpet, prised up 

 two boards, and down rushed the dog pell-mell. We 

 heard a wild scurry below and a worry, worry, worry ; 

 then all was still, and the next thing was how to get the 

 dog out. The ground was nearly four feet below the floor, 

 as we found by trying with a broom-handle, and someone 

 1 His portrait appeared in The Field. 



