ery flat jest, for he paid no
attention to it whatever.

"Now, Dumps, come here and let's be friends. Who do you think is coming
to stay with us--to stay altogether? You'll never guess. Your old
friend and first master, little Slidder, no less. Think of that!"

Dumps wagged his tail vigorously; whether at the news, or because of
pleasure at my brushing the hair off his soft brown eyes, and looking
into them, I cannot tell.

"Yes," I continued, "it's quite true. This fire will apparently be the
making of little Slidder, as well as you and me, for we are all going to
live and work together. Isn't that nice? Evidently Dr McTougall is a
trump, and so is his friend Dobson, who puts this fine mansion at his
disposal until another home can be got ready for us."

I was interrupted at this point by an uproarious burst of laughter from
the doctor himself, who had entered by the open door unobserved by me.
I joined in the laugh against myself, but blushed, nevertheless, for man
does not like, as a rule, to be caught talking earnestly either to
himself or to a dumb creature.

"Why, Mellon," he said, sitting down beside me, and patting my dog, "I
imagined from your tones, as I entered, that you were having some
serious conversation with my wife."

"No; Mrs McTougall has not yet returned from her drive. I was merely
having a chat with Dumps. I had of late, in my lodgings, got into a way
of thinking aloud, as it were, while talking to my dog. I suppose it
was with an unconscious desire to break the silence of my room."

"No doubt, no doubt," replied the doctor, with a touch of sympathy in
his tone. "You must have been rather lonely in that attic of yours.
And yet do you know, I sometimes sigh for the quiet of such an attic!
Perhaps when you've been some months under the same roof with these
miniature thunderstorms, Jack, Harry, Job, Jenny, and Dolly, you'll long
to go back to the attic."

A tremendous thump on the floor overhead, followed by a wild uproar,
sent the doctor upstairs--three steps at a stride. I sat prudently
still till he returned, which he did in a few minutes, laughing.

"What d'you think it was?" he cried, panting. "Only my Dolly tumbling
off the chest of drawers. My babes have many pleasant little games.
Among others, cutting off the heads of dreadful traitors is a great
favourite. They roll up a sheet into a ball for the head. Then each of
them is led in turn to the scaffold, which is the t