ou this morning?'

Don replied that he was rather out of sorts, and was going down to a
certain lane for a dose of dog-grass.

'A little dog-grass won't do _me_ any harm,' said Jock; 'I'll come too.'

This was awkward, but Don pretended to be glad, and they went a little
way together.

'But what's that thing round your neck?' asked the Dandie Dinmont.

'Oh,' said Don, 'that? It's a bit of finery they put on me at the
cottage. It pleases _them_, you know. Think it's becoming?'

'Um,' answered Jock; 'reminds me of a thing a friend of mine used to
wear. But _he_ had a blind man tied to him. I don't see _your_ blind
man.'

'They would have given me a blind man of course if I'd asked for it,'
said Don airily, 'but what's the use of a blind man--isn't he rather a
bore?'

'I didn't ask; but my friend said he believed the thing round his neck,
which was flat and white just like yours (only he had a tin mug
underneath his), made people more inclined to give him things--he didn't
know why. Do _you_ find that?'

'How stupid of Daisy to forget the mug!' thought Don. 'I could have
brought things home to eat quietly then.--I don't know,' he replied to
Jock; 'I haven't tried.'

He meant to put it to the test very soon, though--if only he could get
rid of Jock.

'By the way,' he said carelessly, 'have you been round by the hotel
lately?'

'No,' answered Jock, 'not since the ostler threw a brush at me.'

'Well,' said Don, 'there was a bone outside the porch, which, if I
hadn't been feeling so poorly, I should have had a good mind to tackle
myself. But perhaps some other dog has got hold of it by this time.'

'I'll soon make him let go if he has!' said Jock, who liked a fight
almost as well as a bone. '_Where_ was it, did you say?'

'Outside the hotel. Don't let me keep you. It was a beautiful bone.
Good-morning,' said Don.

He did not think it worth while to explain that he had seen it several
days ago, for Don, as you will have remarked already, was a very artful
dog.

He got rid of his unwelcome friend in this highly unprincipled manner,
and strolled on to the pier full of expectation. Steamers ply pretty
frequently on this particular lake, so he had not to wait very long. The
little _Cygnet_ soon came hissing up, and the moment the gangway was
placed Don stepped on board, with tail proudly erect.

As usual, he examined the passengers, first to see who had anything to
give, then who looked most likely to give i