THE DOG. 89 



r 



Suspicious appearances. 



increased to a furious bark ; but upon the maid's 

 speaking to bim sharply, he suffered her to enter 

 the chamber, and the servant stepped back to 

 hold the light to his lord. On his old master's 

 advancing towards the chamber, the dog drew 

 back, and stood with a determined air of opposi- 

 tion, as if to guard the entrance. His lordship 

 then called the dog by his name, and on repeat- 

 ing some terms of fondness, which, in past times, 

 he had familiarly been accustomed to, he licked 

 the hand from whose endearments he had so long 

 been estranged. 



" But he still held firm to his purpose, and en- 

 deavoured to oppose his master's passing to the 

 chamber. Yet the servant was suffered, without 

 further disputing the point, to go out; not, how- 

 ever, without another growl, though one rather 

 of anger than of resistance, and which accompa- 

 nied her with increased fierceness all the way 

 down stairs, which she descended with the same 

 strange kind of hurry and confusion that had 

 marked her behaviour ever since his lordship's 

 arrival. His lordship was prevented from dwel- 

 ling long on this circumstance, by an attention 

 to the dog, who, without being solicited farther, 

 went a few paces from the threshold of the door, 

 at which he kept guard : and, after caressing his 

 lordship, and using every gentle art of affection- 

 ate persuasion, (speech alone excepted) went 

 down one of the stairs, as if to persuade his mas- 

 ter to accompany him. His lordship had his 



