Or at any rate do what will do just as well," said the small house-dog,
as he lay blinking at the fire.

"You darling!" cried little Joan, and she sat down on the hearth and
hugged him. But he got up and shook himself, and moved three turns
nearer the oven, to be out of the way; for though her arms were soft she
had kept her doll in them, and that was made of wood, which hurts.

"What a dear, kind house-dog you are!" said little Joan, and she meant
what she said, for it does feel nice to have the sharp edges of one's
duty a little softened off for one.

He was no particular kind of a dog, but he was very smooth to stroke,
and had a nice way of blinking with his eyes, which it was soothing to
see. There had been a difficulty about his name. The name of the
house-dog before him was Faithful, and well it became him, as his
tombstone testified. The one before that was called Wolf. He was very
wild, and ended his days on the gallows, for worrying sheep. The little
house-dog never chased anything, to the widow's knowledge. There was no
reason whatever for giving him a bad name, and she thought of several
good ones, such as Faithful, and Trusty, and Keeper, which are fine
old-fashioned titles, but none of these seemed quite perfectly to suit
him. So he was called So-so; and a very nice soft name it is.

The widow was only a poor woman, though she contrived by her industry to
keep a decent home together, and to get now one and now another little
comfort for herself and her child.

One day she was going out on business, and she called her little
daughter and said to her, "I am going out for two hours. You are too
young to protect yourself and the house, and So-so is not as strong as
Faithful was. But when I go, shut the house-door and bolt the big wooden
bar, and be sure that you do not open it for any reason whatever till I
return. If strangers come, So-so may bark, which he can do as well as a
bigger dog. Then they will go away. With this summer's savings I have
bought a quilted petticoat for you and a duffle cloak for myself against
the winter, and if I get the work I am going after to-day, I shall buy
enough wool to knit warm stockings for us both. So be patient till I
return, and then we will have the plumcake that is in the cupboard for
tea."

"Thank you, Mother."

"Good-bye, my child. Be sure you do just as I have told you," said the
widow.

"Very well, Mother."

Little Joan laid down her doll, and shut the hou