y him with a bone."

He laughed to himself as he made his way into the larder, wondering what
Mrs Fidler would say if she could see him; and after looking beneath
two or three wire covers, he pounced upon a bladebone of a shoulder of
mutton, pretty literally a bone, and bore it away, taking his cap and
going out into the garden, getting to the side gate in the lane, and
passing out just as the sun rose above the horizon.

"Here, hi! ugly!" he cried, breaking into the midst of a howl; and the
dog came bounding toward him with its yelping bark. "There; it's very
stupid of me, but just you take that and be off into the woods, and if
you come here again look out for squalls."

The dog made a fierce snap at the bone, upon which its sharp teeth
clapped, and then with a growl bounded off, but stopped and came back,
dropped the bone in the sand, looked up at Tom, and threw up its head to
howl again.

"Why, halloo! what's the matter then?" cried Tom, holding out his hand;
"got another adder-bite in the nose?"

"Ow--ow!" moaned the dog, pressing its head up against the hand. Then
it started away, barked sharply, turned, and looked at Tom.

"Here, let's have a look," he cried; and the dog uttered an eager bark.
"Come here."

The dog ran to him directly, and after a momentary hesitation Tom took
hold of its head, and held up its muzzle without the slightest
resistance being offered.

"Well, we seem to have got to be pretty good friends," said Tom, as he
looked carefully, and then let go; "but I don't see anything wrong.
Besides, it isn't swollen."

The dog barked loudly now, and started away for a few yards.

"Here, here! Don't leave your sandy bone," cried Tom, and the dog ran
back. "Here, catch hold."

Then there was a snap made at the tempting morsel, but it was dropped
again directly, for the poor brute to throw up its muzzle and give forth
another piteous howl.

"Oh, I say, don't do that," cried Tom; and this was responded to by a
burst of barking.

"Why, what's the matter with you? Mouth sore? Toothache?"

There was another burst of barking, and the dog ran on a few yards, and
looked back to bark again.

"I don't understand your language, old chap," cried Tom. "What do you
want? Found a rabbit round here?"

Another eager bark, and the dog pricked up its ears, and looked more and
more excited.

"All right, come and pick this up then. It's too good to leave."

The dog rushed at the bone as Tom t