DOG-PSYCHOLOGY 55 



made up her mind, and told Pat that the sharp words of 

 command were so many insults directly hurled at her head, 

 so the twin black-haired, shaggy little furies laid on with 

 their sharp white teeth to the lower end of the drill- 

 sergeant's pantaloons. He, like the sentry at Pompeii, 

 continued at his post till the mischief was done, but after- 

 wards bethought him of a way of compensation. He went 

 to the dog's master and pleaded that his unmentionables 

 were in such a plight that he could no longer speak with 

 his enemies, in the gate. ' ' Well, but the damage was not 

 very great, I suppose ; the trousers are not new, are they?" 

 " Beg pardon, sir, but in a few days I am to be married, 

 and these are the only pants I have in the world, and there 

 is no time to get them mended. ' ' This was a closer. The 

 man of war was given sixteen shillings to purchase a 

 ready-made pair at short notice, in flagrant disregard of 

 the possibility of sweated labour. 



But about the time that Cricket died, Pat's life was 

 changed by the arrival of two beautiful golden collies, in- 

 credibly noisy animals and wholly without minds, Damon 

 and Daphne. Damon is a perfect embodiment of the 

 charming picture drawn by William Watson. The 

 ' ' ancestral strenuousness ' ' of the sheep-dog forbear has 

 degenerated into mere noise and the silliest ballyragging. 

 If he hears a cart a quarter of a mile off, he rushes 

 floundering through geranium-beds and banging among 

 the delphiniums, romping ferociously with his mate. On 

 these occasions he began by trying to make a fool of Pat. 

 He would allure him as if to a bear fight, too silly to see 

 that Pat was thirsting for his life-blood, and, conceive it, 

 would rudely thrust his huge paw right into Pat's face or 

 shove him shamefully back among the lobelias, and only 

 bark with inane delight at what he had done. But Pat, 

 with Billingsgate horresco referens pouring from his 

 lips, used to fly after him, his short furry legs twinkling 

 along the gravel, and hurl himself at the throat of this big 

 shameless buffoon. The only result was that he would 



