ring to exchange some casual remarks in their usual
tone, when strange footsteps were heard without, and fresh company
entered.

These were no other than four very dismal dogs, who came pattering in
one after the other, headed by an old bandy dog of particularly
mournful aspect, who, stopping when the last of his followers had got
as far as the door, erected himself upon his hind legs and looked round
at his companions, who immediately stood upon their hind legs, in a
grave and melancholy row. Nor was this the only remarkable
circumstance about these dogs, for each of them wore a kind of little
coat of some gaudy colour trimmed with tarnished spangles, and one of
them had a cap upon his head, tied very carefully under his chin, which
had fallen down upon his nose and completely obscured one eye; add to
this, that the gaudy coats were all wet through and discoloured with
rain, and that the wearers were splashed and dirty, and some idea may
be formed of the unusual appearance of these new visitors to the Jolly
Sandboys.

Neither Short nor the landlord nor Thomas Codlin, however, was in the
least surprised, merely remarking that these were Jerry's dogs and that
Jerry could not be far behind. So there the dogs stood, patiently
winking and gaping and looking extremely hard at the boiling pot, until
Jerry himself appeared, when they all dropped down at once and walked
about the room in their natural manner. This posture it must be
confessed did not much improve their appearance, as their own personal
tails and their coat tails--both capital things in their way--did not
agree together.

Jerry, the manager of these dancing dogs, was a tall black-whiskered
man in a velveteen coat, who seemed well known to the landlord and his
guests and accosted them with great cordiality. Disencumbering himself
of a barrel organ which he placed upon a chair, and retaining in his
hand a small whip wherewith to awe his company of comedians, he came up
to the fire to dry himself, and entered into conversation.

'Your people don't usually travel in character, do they?' said Short,
pointing to the dresses of the dogs. 'It must come expensive if they
do?'

'No,' replied Jerry, 'no, it's not the custom with us. But we've been
playing a little on the road to-day, and we come out with a new
wardrobe at the races, so I didn't think it worth while to stop to
undress. Down, Pedro!'

This was addressed to the dog with the cap on, who being a