CALVIN: A STUDY OF CHARACTER. 18S 



the summer, that dinner would be early, and 

 Calvin, walking about the grounds, missed 

 it and came in late. But he never made 

 a mistake the second day. There was one 

 thing he never did, he never rushed 

 through an open doorway. He never for- 

 got his dignity. If he had asked to have 

 the door opened, and was eager to go out, 

 he always went deliberately; I can see him 

 now, standing on the sill, looking about at 

 the sky as if he was thinking whether it 

 were worth while to take an umbrella, until 

 he was near having his tail shut in. 



His friendship was rather constant than 

 demonstrative. When we returned from an 

 absence of nearly two years, Calvin wel- 

 comed us with evident pleasure, but showed 

 his satisfaction rather by tranquil happiness 

 than by fuming about. He had the faculty 

 of making us glad to get home. It was his 

 constancy that was so attractive. He liked 

 companionship, but he would n't be petted, 

 or fussed over, or sit in any one's lap a mo- 

 ment; he always extricated himself from 



