t is.'

Mark rose and opened the door, and presently a ridiculous little
draggled object, as black as a cinder, its long hair caked and clotted
with dried mud, shuffled into the room with the evident intention of
sneaking into a warm corner without attracting public notice--an
intention promptly foiled by the indignant Dolly.

'O-oh!' she cried; 'it's Frisk. Look at him, everybody--_do_ look at
him.'

The unhappy animal backed into the corner by the door with his eyes on
Dolly's, and made a conscience-stricken attempt to sit up and wave one
paw in deprecation, doubtless prepared with a plausible explanation of
his singular appearance, which much resembled that of 'Mr. Dolls'
returning to Jenny Wren after a long course of 'three-penn'orths.'

'Aren't you ashamed of yourself?' demanded Dolly. '(Don't laugh, Mr.
Ernstone, _please_--it encourages him so.) Oh, I believe you're the
very worst dog in Notting Hill.'

The possessor of that bad eminence sat and shivered, as if engaged in
a rough calculation of his chances of a whipping; but Dolly governed
him on these occasions chiefly by the moral sanction--an immunity he
owed to his condition.

'And this,' said Dolly, scathingly, 'this is the dog you saved from
the train, Mr. Ernstone! There's gratitude! The next time he shall be
left to be killed--he's not worth saving!'

Either the announcement or the suspense, according as one's estimate
of his intellectual powers may vary, made the culprit snuffle
dolefully, and after Dolly had made a few further uncomplimentary
observations on the general vileness of his conduct and the extreme
uncleanliness of his person, which he heard abjectly, he was dismissed
with his tail well under him, probably to meditate that if he did not
wish to rejoin his race altogether, he really would have to pull up.

Soon after this sounds were heard in the hall, as of a hat being
pitched into a corner, and a bag with some heavy objects in it
slammed on a table to a whistling accompaniment. 'That's Colin,' said
Dolly, confidentially. 'Mother says he ought to be getting more repose
of manner, but he hasn't begun yet.'

And soon after Colin himself made his appearance. 'Hullo, Mabel!
Hullo, mother! Yes, I've washed my hands and I've brushed my hair.
It's _all_ right, really. Well, Dolly. What, Mr. Ashburn here!' he
broke off, staring a little as he went up to shake hands with Mark.

'I ought to have explained, perhaps,' said Mark. 'Ernstone is o