ers? Well, the pity is that this
foolish contradictory taste of mine, while it makes me hungry,
forbids me to follow your example. Why am I to take lessons from my
soldier-phantasms, and not from my canine one? Illogical! Bran! Bran!'
and he went out and whistled in vain for the dog.

'Bran! unhappy phantom, who will not vanish by night or day, lying on
my chest even in dreams; and who would not even let me vanish, and solve
the problem--though I don't believe there is any--why did you drag me
out of the sea there at Ostia? Why did you not let me become a whole
shoal of crabs? How did you know, or I either, that they may not be
very jolly fellows, and not in the least troubled with philosophic
doubts?.... But perhaps there were no crabs, but only phantasms of
crabs.... And, on the other hand, if the crab-phantasms give jolly
sensations, why should not the crow-phantasms? So whichever way it turns
out, no matter; and I may as well wait here, and seem to become crows,
as I certainly shall do.--Bran!.... Why should I wait for her? What
pleasure can it be to me to have the feeling of a four-legged, brindled,
lop-eared, toad-mouthed thing always between what seem to be my legs?
There she is! Where have you been, madam? Don't you see I am in marching
order, with staff and wallet ready shouldered? Come!'

But the dog, looking up in his face as only dogs can look, ran toward
the back of the ruin, and up to him again, and back again, until he
followed her.

'What's this? Here is a new sensation with a vengeance! O storm and
cloud of material appearances, were there not enough of you already,
that you must add to your number these also? Bran! Bran! Could you find
no other day in the year but this, whereon to present my ears with the
squeals of--one--two--three--nine blind puppies?'

Bran answered by rushing into the hole where her new family lay tumbling
and squalling, bringing out one in her mouth, and laying it at his feet.

'Needless, I assure you. I am perfectly aware of the state of the case
already. What! another? Silly old thing!--do you fancy, as the fine
ladies do, that burdening the world with noisy likenesses of your
precious self, is a thing of which to be proud? Why, she's bringing out
the whole litter!.... What was I thinking of last? Ah--the argument was
self-contradictory, was it, because I could not argue without using
the very terms which I repudiated. Well.... And--why should it not be
contradictory; Why n