LOLA 88 



kindly placed at my disposal. At first I felt some 

 misgivings owing to the fact that the dog was already 

 two years old, and had also passed through numerous 

 hands, yet I determined to go to Mannheim, and my 

 visit took place as above narrated. Lola made a 

 most delightful impression on me, and I put few 

 tests to my choice, for I was in a state of some excite- 

 ment after all that had taken place, and therefore 

 took her away with me joyfully. It had seemed as 

 if I must do this. 



It was on ii January, 1916. She sat in the rail- 

 way carriage with me, and began to howl violently 

 when she saw Mannheim disappearing from her gaze. 

 I tried to console her, saying : " Don't cry I You 

 shall be quite happy with me ! " It was then that 

 Lola looked at me for the first time attentively. She 

 quieted down and our friendship seemed sealed. She 

 was apparently resigned to her fate ; she was also 

 doubtless aware that she had played " second fiddle " 

 at Mannheim, and that it would, therefore, be pre- 

 ferable to be somewhere " on her own." That 

 something of the kind was passing through her mind 

 I could see also that she was quite aware that she 

 now belonged to me, and imagined she would be alone 

 with me. This latter surmise became evident as soon 

 as we reached my home where the sheep-dog I had had 

 for two years rushed out to welcome me. 



Then Lola gazed at me with horror and disappoint- 

 ment ; the reproach in her eyes was such that I could 

 not but understand, and then the two dogs flew 

 at each other, for, in the meantime the sheep-dog had 

 begun to understand too ! This was remarkable, for 

 male and female dogs do not as a rule fall foul of each 

 other. For days I kept them apart in separate rooms, 

 for the mere sight of each other occasioned deep 



