ering. The strain on me was very great.

"At last they seemed to hit upon a compromise. Porthos looked over his
shoulder very self-consciously, and the rabbit at first slowly and then
in a flash withdrew. Porthos pretended to make a search for it, but you
cannot think how relieved he looked. He even tried to brazen out his
disgrace before me and waved his tail appealingly. But he could not
look me in the face, and when he saw that this was what I insisted on he
collapsed at my feet and moaned. There were real tears in his eyes, and
I was touched, and swore to him that he had done everything a dog could
do, and though he knew I was lying he became happy again. For so long as
I am pleased with him, ma'am, nothing else greatly matters to Porthos. I
told this story to David, having first extracted a promise from him that
he would not think the less of Porthos, and now I must demand the same
promise of you. Also, an admission that in innocence of heart, for which
David has been properly commended, he can nevertheless teach Porthos
nothing, but on the contrary may learn much from him.

"And now to come to those qualities in which David excels over
Porthos--the first is that he is no snob but esteems the girl Irene
(pretentiously called his nurse) more than any fine lady, and envies
every ragged boy who can hit to leg. Whereas Porthos would have every
class keep its place, and though fond of going down into the kitchen,
always barks at the top of the stairs for a servile invitation before
he graciously descends. Most of the servants in our street have had
the loan of him to be photographed with, and I have but now seen him
stalking off for that purpose with a proud little housemaid who is
looking up to him as if he were a warrior for whom she had paid a
shilling.

"Again, when David and Porthos are in their bath, praise is due to the
one and must be withheld from the other. For David, as I have noticed,
loves to splash in his bath and to slip back into it from the hands that
would transfer him to a towel. But Porthos stands in his bath drooping
abjectly like a shamed figure cut out of some limp material.

"Furthermore, the inventiveness of David is beyond that of Porthos, who
cannot play by himself, and knows not even how to take a solitary
walk, while David invents playfully all day long. Lastly, when David is
discovered of some offence and expresses sorrow therefor, he does
that thing no more for a time, but looks about h