258 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



have no moral sense upon that point, therefore even 

 Balaam could not be trusted alone with food. Slop's 

 sharp bark would usually tell what was going on if the 

 room had been vacated when breakfast was on the 

 table, and hurrying back one would find Balaam in- 

 serting his paw into the cream-jug. Slop would be 

 standing by remonstrating in no measured terms, but 

 Balaam seldom heeded him, and would go on supping 

 cream by means of his paw as neatly as if he were 

 using a silver spoon. Slop's services as a policeman 

 soon became of much value, and many times the duty 

 which belonged to a servant was delegated to the dog, 

 he being the more trustworthy animal of the two. 



Only once in his life was Slop guilty of dishonesty, 

 and that once was a fall before great temptation. He 

 had returned from a hunting expedition ravenously 

 hungry. We all know how hard it is to withstand 

 the starved cravings of an animal instinct, and we 

 must judge Slop as leniently as we would a man. 



The parlour press was usually locked (against boys, 

 not dogs), it being the receptacle for bread, sugar, &c., 

 but it happened sometimes that the door was left open 

 by mistake. On the day when Slop's hunger over- 

 came his sense of right that door was not closed, and 

 every creature about the house knew that bread was 

 to be found in that press. Our brother coming towards 

 the parlour met Slop carrying a round oatcake (called 

 a briinie). As soon as he saw his master Slop dropped 

 the briinie, guilt written in his downcast looks and 

 drooping tail " Shame upon the dog ! " was all Yetta 



