emplating. The Mayor was defeated, the crowd became too thick, and
the caresses bestowed on the dog seemed to fatigue him. He rose and
retreated to a corner haughtily. "Manners, sir," said the soldier; "it
is not for the like of us to be proud; excuse him, ladies and gentlemen.
He only wishes to please all," said the child, deprecatingly. "Say how
many would you have round us at a time, so that the rest may not be
prevented seeing you." She spread the multiplication figures before the
dog; the dog put his paw on 10. "Astonishing!" said the Mayor.

"Will you choose them yourself, sir?"

The dog nodded, walked leisurely round, keeping one eye towards the one
eye of his master and selected ten persons, amongst whom were the Mayor,
Mr. Williams, and three pretty young ladies who had been induced to
ascend the stage. The others were chosen no less judiciously.

The dog was then artfully led on from one accomplishment to another,
much within the ordinary range which bounds the instruction of learned
animals. He was asked to say how many ladies were on the stage: he spelt
three. What were their names? "The Graces." Then he was asked who was
the first magistrate in the town. The dog made a bow to the Mayor.
"What had made that gentleman first magistrate?" The dog looked to
the alphabet and spelt "Worth." "Were there any persons present more
powerful than the Mayor?" The dog bowed to the three young ladies.
"What made them more powerful?" The dog spelt "Beauty." When ended
the applause these answers received, the dog went through the musket
exercise with the soldier's staff; and as soon as he had performed that,
he came to the business part of the exhibition, seized the hat which his
master had dropped on the ground, and carried it round to each person
on the stage. They looked at one another. "He is a poor soldier's dog,"
said the child, hiding her face. "No, no; a soldier cannot beg," cried
the Comedian. The Mayor dropped a coin in the hat; others did the same
or affected to do it. The dog took the hat to his master, who waved him
aside. There was a pause. The dog laid the hat softly at the soldier's
feet, and looked up at the child beseechingly. "What," asked she,
raising her head proudly--"what secures WORTH and defends BEAUTY?" The
dog took up the staff and shouldered it. "And to what can the soldier
look for aid when he starves and will not beg?" The dog seemed
puzzled,--the suspense was awful. "Good heavens," thought the