, CRUEL dog! whatever made you do such a thing as this? I
never dreamt it of you, never." At this Betsy's tail dropped between
her legs, for she was a coward at heart, but Doctor held his ground, his
tail standing on end, as his hair should have done, and his eyes all
the while fairly devouring the little rabbit. "And the worst of it,"
continued Tattine, "is that no matter how sorry you may feel" (Betsy
was the only one who showed any signs of sorrow, and she was more scared
than sorry), "no matter how sorry you may feel, that will not mend
things. You do not know where this baby lived, and who are its father
and mother, and like as not it is too young to live at all away from
them and will die," and Tattine raised one plump little hand and gave
Doctor a slap that at least made him "turn tail," and slink rather
doggedly away to his own particular hole under the laundry steps. And
now it was time to find Mamma--high time, for it seemed to Tattine
she would choke with all the feelings, sorrowful and angry, welling up
within her. Mamma was not far afield--that is, she was very near, at
her desk in the cosy little alcove of the upstairs hall-way, and Tattine
soon found her.

"Now, Mamma," she asked excitedly, "did you know that Betsy or Doctor
would do such a thing as this?"

The trembling little rabbit in Tattine's hands showed what was meant by
THIS.

Mrs. Gerald paused a moment, then she said reluctantly, "Yes, Tattine, I
did."

"Have they done it before, Mamma?"

"I am sorry to say they have."

"Have you seen them bring struggling rabbits dangling in their mouths
right up to the house here, Mamma?"

Mrs. Gerald merely shook her head. She felt so sorry to have to own to
such a sight.

"Why did I never know it, Mamma?"

"You have never chanced to be on the spot, dear, when it happened, and I
was in no hurry to tell you anything that I knew would make you sad."

"I think it would have been better to tell me. It's awful to find such a
thing out suddenly about dogs you've trusted, and to think how good and
gentle they look when they come and put their heads in your lap to be
petted, just as though they would not hurt a fly; but then, of course,
anyone who has eyes knows that they do lure flies, snapping at them all
day long, and just for the fun of it too, not because they need them for
food, as birds do. Mamma, I don't believe there's anything meaner than
a Laverack setter. Still, Tadjie would never have done s