the youngster would be unhappy if left alone on
the bench. The Master was leading Finn, and, before they entered
the ring, he passed his hand solicitously over the dog's immature
brows and beard once or twice, even as a very young man may be
noticed to tug at his moustache with a view, presumably, to making
the very most of it. The Mistress found a place for herself beside
the ring with Kathleen, which not only gave her a good view of the
judging, but also showed her plainly to all in the ring. This was
for Finn's especial benefit. And then the Master walked into the
ring with Finn, and took up his place next to the lady who led the
grand old hound who had sired Finn--Champion Dermot.

In the centre of the ring, accompanied by a busy steward with a
sheaf of notes in his hand, stood the Judge of Irish Wolfhounds; a
man grown grey, white-haired indeed, in the study of dog-folk, and
one of whom it might be said that, by his own single-hearted
efforts, he had saved the breed of Irish Wolfhounds from becoming
extinct in the middle of last century, and accomplished a great
deal of the spade work which has brought the modern breed to its
present flourishing state. No man living could claim to know more
of Irish Wolfhounds than this white-haired Judge, who stood in the
centre of a ring formed by all the greatest aristocrats of the
historic breed.

"Move them round, please," he said quietly. "Keep them moving as
freely as possible."

Finn was the only hound in that ring under two and a half years of
age, and Finn was just fifteen months old, a child among the
acknowledged leaders and chieftains of his race. One noticed it in
the comparative angularity and leggyness of his build. He carried
less flesh than the others, was far less set; in a word, they had
"furnished," and Finn had not. The Mistress of the Kennels, from
her place beside the ring, noticed these things, and sighed for the
soaring ambition which had led to the entering of this tyro in Open
class.

"Finn, boy!" said she, in an impressive, long-drawn whisper, as
Finn passed her place. The youngster's ears lifted, and his fine
neck curved superbly as he looked round at the Mistress. And just
then the Master bent over him, whispering close beside his ear
certain nonsense words which were associated in Finn's mind with
certain events, like rabbit-hunting and racing on the Downs.

"Chu, chu, chu--u--u--, Finn!" whispered the Master. And that was a
nonsense word co