'S-sh!' whispered the dog; 'we're in luck, then. The little girl is going for a walk alone! I think I can manage to get that little kitten out of that muff. Hark! what's that the nurserymaid is saying to her? -"Don't go beyond the gate, Miss Flossy, for there's a strange, ugly, big black dog about somewhere."— Strange, ugly, big black dog, indeed! I'll strange-uglybig-black-dog her one of these days, I can tell her! Now, my dear, keep quiet, and don't excite yourself. What we've got to do now is to lie perfectly still and observe Miss Flossy's slightest movements. The nurserymaid has gone in and shut the door. Good! Now, vigilance, patience, and presence of mind be our watchwords, and success will crown our endeavours.'

'Do you think she'd drop my kitty if I flew straight at her face and scratched it?' asked the cat in a whisper.

'It is likely; but if you do, I'll fly straight at yours, Mrs. Treacherous,' said the dog warmly.

Miss Flossy's movements were not difficult to observe. Like the good little girl she was, she walked steadily and seriously up and down from the side door of the house to the great white gate that led on to the road, in the very middle of the space that the gardener had cleared in the pathway amidst last night's snow; con fiding her opinion to the little bright-eyed kitten, as

she walked, that that same dark brown, pebbly pathway, and the hard white snow that bordered it, reminded her a good deal more of rich iced plumcake than was quite pleasant, seeing that the resemblance stopped entirely short at mere outward appearance. And during this little conversation she lifted her muff to her face very often, and kissed the little kitten fondly on its eyes and nose, which was not, perhaps, altogether so soothing an attention as she imagined it to be. And she pulled its tiny white whiskers once or twice to make it mew.

'Oh dear, oh dear!' cried its poor mamma from her hiding-place; 'she surely must know that that is one of the most painful things in the world.'

'Except having your tail trod on,' said the dog with a shudder.

Miss Flossy, however, meant it all quite kindly. Indeed, so much absorbed was she in the contents of her little muff, that she forgot to look where she was going, tripped over a large stone, stumbled, and down she came, flat on her poor little nose.

Away flew the muff yards off! Out tumbled the kitten, frightened out of its little wits, and skurried away as hard as it could go! Up struggled the little girl, covered with snow and wet gravel, but nothing daunted, and toddled bravely after it!

'Now's your time,' whispered the dog. Catch her

up in your mouth! Make for the road! Hide anywhere you like, and wait for me.'

Out sprang the cat; the kitten was caught up in her tender mouth the very next second. And then it was scramble, tumble, hurry-skurry, helter-skelter through the snow, with both cat and little girl. A squeeze through the bars of the gate (that was for the cat and kitten only the little girl was a great deal too fat, and was obliged to stop and pull the gate open).

'Oh, oh! oo naughty pussy-cat!' cried she, all over tears, snow, and gravel, as she hurried out into the road, quite forgetting what her nurse had said. 'Oo naughty cat, oo has dot mine kitty, oo's dot mine kitty!'

Scout-artful dog!-let her run. He contented himself with trotting after her, keeping carefully out of her sight. But no sooner was she well in the high road, between the tall, snow-laden hedges, and out of sight of her home, than he quickened his speed, overtook and ran past her, suddenly stopped short between herself and the fugitive cat, and then turned and faced her with bristling ears, an erect tail, grinning lips, and fierce white teeth, and a most alarming growl.

'Oh, oh!'

Here was a horrible dilemma. The great, strange, ugly, big black dog! and she must either face him and pass him, or lose her kitty!