es as a mastiff, a French poodle, a bull-terrier, and a pom., and
she got hon'ble mention as a grey'ound once. She'll chaw up a man she
don't like, won't yer, Lily, old gal?"

Lily looked up with a ridiculously amiable expression for a dog
possessed of such qualities.

"But I don't want a dog," repeated Mr. Hearty, looking helplessly at
Smith.

"Then wot the grumblin' 'ereafter do yer put in this advertisement
for?" growled the man angrily.

"But I didn't."

"Is your name 'Earty?"

"I am Mr. Hearty."

"Then you want a dawg, an' Lily's your dawg, an' I want four pound.
Now, 'and it over, guv'nor. I'm in a 'urry. I ain't a bloomin'
non-stop."

At that moment a middle-aged woman entered, followed by a very small
boy with a very large dog, as indeterminate as to pedigree as Lily
herself. The woman looked about her and approached Smith.

"Mr. Hearty?" she almost whispered.

Smith, a man of few words, jerked his thumb in the direction of his
employer. The woman walked over to him. Meanwhile the new dog had
growled ominously at Lily, who, throwing out her forepaws and
depressing her head upon them, had playfully challenged it to a romp.

"Mr. Hearty?" meekly enquired the woman.

As she spoke a woman and two more men with other dogs entered the shop.
These were quickly followed by another woman of a
I
-know-what-I-want-and-'Uggins-is-my-name-an'-I've-got-me-marriage-lines
appearance. Following her came a mild-mannered man with yet another
dog, larger and more bewildering in the matter of breed than Lily and
the other animal combined.

"I want to see Mr. 'Earty," announced the third woman to Smith. Smith
indicated Mr. Hearty in his usual manner by a jerk of the thumb.

"I come in answer to the advertisement," she announced.

"For a dawg?" enquired Lily's owner suspiciously.

"For an 'ousekeeper," replied the woman aggressively. "Wot's that got
to do wi' you? You ain't Mr. 'Earty, are yer? You jest shut yer ugly
face."

The man subsided.

The shop was now full. Lily and the second dog had decided to be
friends, and had formed an alliance against the third dog. In their
gambols they had already upset a basket of apples.

Whilst Mr. Hearty was endeavouring to convince Lily's owner that not
only did he not require a dog, but that as a matter of fact he had a
marked antipathy for the whole species, other animals continued to
arrive. They grouped themselves outside with their owners, together