said, his voice shaking, "you do not pain me; on the
contrary, you take me back to my younger days. Yes, I will teach you to
sing, little Remi, and, as you have a heart, you also will make people
weep with your songs."

He stopped suddenly, and I felt that he did not wish to say more at that
moment. I did not know the reason why he should feel sad.

The next day he cut out little pieces of wood for the music notes the
same as he had for the letters. The notes were more complicated than the
alphabet, and this time I found it much harder and more tedious to
learn. Vitalis, so patient with the dogs, more than once lost patience
with me.

"With an animal," he cried, "one controls oneself, because one is
dealing with a poor dumb creature, but you are enough to drive me mad!"
He threw up his hands dramatically.

Pretty-Heart, who took special delight in imitating gestures he thought
funny, mimicked my master, and as the monkey was present at my lessons
every day, I had the humiliation to see him lift his arms in despair
every time I hesitated.

"See, Pretty-Heart is even mocking you," cried Vitalis.

If I had dared, I would have said that he mocked the master just as much
as the pupil, but respect, as well as a certain fear, forbade me.

Finally, after many weeks of study, I was able to sing an air from a
piece of paper that Vitalis himself had written. That day my master did
not throw up his hands, but instead, patted me on the cheek, declaring
that if I continued thus I should certainly become a great singer.

CHAPTER VIII

ONE WHO HAD KNOWN A KING

Our mode of traveling was very simple: We went straight ahead, anywhere,
and when we found a village, which from the distance looked sufficiently
important, we began preparations for a triumphal entry. I dressed the
dogs, and combed Dulcie's hair; stuck a plaster over Capi's eye when he
was playing the part of an old grouchy man, and forced Pretty-Heart into
his General's uniform. That was the most difficult thing I had to do,
for the monkey, who knew well enough that this was a prelude to work for
him, invented the oddest tricks to prevent me from dressing him. Then I
was forced to call Capi to come to my aid, and between the two of us we
finally managed to subdue him.

The company all dressed, Vitalis took his fife and we went in marching
order into the village. If the number of people who trooped behind us
was sufficient, we gave a performance, but if we