ur," she said briskly. "I suppose a dog
is not to be bound down by the prejudices of its parents?"

I went away very sadly, and, as I went, I noticed that there were some
curtains in the dyer's window of exactly the same tint as my friend's
dress. The next day she was gone.

I sought her in vain. The day after, a French poodle appeared on the
dyer's doorstep, dressed in stripes of orange and scarlet. I went boldly
across to him.

"Good morning, old man; how do you come to be that colour?" I said.

"They dye me so," he answered gloomily. "It's a dreadful lot for a dog
that respects himself."

I never saw Bessie but once again. She seemed then to be living with a
tinsmith, and her colour was a gingery white.

I hope I am too much of a gentleman to taunt any lady in misfortune, but
I couldn't help saying--

"Why don't you wear any of your beautiful coloured dresses now?"

She answered me curtly, for she saw that she had ceased to charm.

"I gave up wearing my pretty dresses," she said, "because silly people
asked me so many questions about them."

As usual, I accepted her explanations in silence; but, when I see the
poodle opposite, in his varying glories of blue, and green, and orange,
and purple, I can't help thinking that perhaps my fair Bessie did not
always speak the truth.

The Vain Setter

OURS is one of the most ancient and noble families in the land, and I
contend that family pride is an exalted sentiment. I still hold to this
belief, in spite of all the sufferings that it has brought upon me.

My father, whose ancestor came over with the Conqueror, has taken prizes
at many a county show; and my mother, the handsomest of her sex, took
one prize, and would have taken more, but for the unfortunate accident
of having her tail cut off in a door.

I early determined to be worthy of my high breeding and undoubted
descent. A setter should have long, silky ears. I made my brother pull
mine gently for an hour at a time. In order to lengthen them, I combed
their fringes with my paws.

My father's brow is lofty and narrow. The unfortunate accident which
removed my mother from public life, suggested to me a way of cultivating
our most famous family characteristic. I used to place my head between
the doorpost and the door, while my brother leaned gently against the
latter, so as to press my skull to the requisite shape. My legs, I knew,
ought to be straight. I never indulged in any of those field-sports