CHAPTER IV.

ALARMING NEWS.

THE next morning Tip came out early to see me, and we walked round the kitchen garden together, talking of the adventures of the previous day, and congratulating each other that so little fuss had been made of our absence from home.

Tip said that when Miss Kate came in and found him on the rug, she seemed pleased to see him, and yet she called him a naughty dog, and asked him where he had been all day, and for once he felt glad that she could not understand his language, so that he could give her a very truthful statement, and yet she would be none the wiser for it. "However,"

said Tip, "she fancied she understood me, for she said, 'That was it, was it, poor old fellow? and you are very sorry, and will never do so again,' and then she fetched me some biscuits, and began to play with me. Now I had no objection to the biscuits, or the play, but I had a strong objection to her misrepresenting my words, and I had never said that I would not do the like again, for I fully intend to repeat the fun, whenever I get a chance,-don't you, Rex?"

for

"Yes; of course I do," I replied, "I consider it is good my health to have occasional holidays, and I also consider it is good for Miss Kate not to be dependent on us. Well,"

I said, "I escaped without any scolding at all. I heard the humans discussing as to where we had been all day, and one of them suggested that we must have been hunting, and that we should get caught in traps some day, and then there would be an end of us, upon which the cook, who is a superior kind of human, said, 'Oh, poor things, I hope not,' and that reminds me that if they have not been poaching, they must be hungry, and I must give poor old Rex some bones; Miss Kate is sure to look after Tip.' She suited the action to the word, and brought me out a beautiful supper, and though I was not hungry, I could not do otherwise than eat it to oblige her, so you see 'All is well that ends well,' and I think, Tip, that we are lucky dogs, and I hope poor Jack has fared as well."

Tip said that he had not yet seen Jack, and perhaps on the whole it would be as well to avoid him for that day, and to give our attentions more to our young mistress, "But," he said, "I was very much struck with the sensible remark made by the cook about hunting; why should not we have a day's hunting, the next time we take a holiday, and invite Jack to join us?"

I told him that I had no objection whatever, though I was not very much of a sporting dog, but that perhaps it was from want of practice; and so we settled that the first day when there was "a southerly wind and a cloudy sky," we would have a "hunting morning."

Whilst we were busy making our arrangements, Miss Kate called us both, and said she would take us for a walk, as she was going to visit some friends. How seldom humans express themselves accurately! Strictly speaking we take her, for a walk; if she takes us at all, she takes us for a run.

It was not at all an interesting road that we went, no fields, or woods, only a long dirty lane between high hedges. We walked, or rather ran by her side, occasionally barking to draw her attention to birds, or other things, but Miss Kate was not a person of much observation, and so she did not appear to take much notice of the only things worth seeing in that dull lane.

At last we met about half a dozen little humans, who ran up to Miss Kate and really seemed delighted to see her. They told her that they were home for their holidays, and that they were so happy at having no lessons to do. Miss Kate asked them about their lessons, and they mentioned such a number of things they had had to learn, but that now they were at home they meant to enjoy themselves with their dogs and cats.

"Oh! what jolly dogs those are!" said one of the humans, a nice sensible boy; "those are nice fellows, how happy you must be to have such nice companions when you are out walking!" "Oh, yes," said Miss Kate, "they are very good dogs; that one (pointing to me) is considered very handsome, and is going to the Exhibition of Dogs in London soon. I hope he will be 'commended,' for I really think he is as handsome a retriever as you will see anywhere." "Isn't that dear little black fellow going too?" said a little girl who was standing close by. "No," said Miss Kate, "he is hardly pretty enough, but he is a good little fellow, and very intelligent." "I like cats better than dogs," said another little human, who looked as if she were rather weak in her mind, and when I ventured to make a remark, she was so frightened, that she ran off home as fast as she could. The other little humans

laughed, and said they must go back with her, and as Miss Kate found that their mother, whom she wished to see, was not at home, she said she would not go any farther, and after wishing them good-bye, we all trotted back again to Ewell.

What a state of mind I was in! What could it all mean? Had I heard correctly that I was to be sent away to an exhibition in London, where Miss Kate hoped I would be commended! Nonsense! rubbish! what is an exhibition? What is London? What is being commended? I wished Miss Kate had been more explicit. Why was I to be sent away? and what could it possibly be for! I had done nothing wrong. "What can it mean, Tip ?” I said (as he joined me just at this minute) and I again went through all my exclamations, and all my indignant questions. Tip was calm, provokingly calm, and yet his calmness gave me a creepy feeling, as if he foresaw evil. "Tip," I said, "Tip, what is an exhibition?" "I do not know," said Tip solemnly, "unless—" "Unless what?" I said hurriedly, "unless,-unless what? quick! Tip!" "Well, unless it means- "Well, well, unless it means-? "Unless-oh, my dear Rex, unless it means an exhibition of sausage-meat !!! And you being so good and handsome, will make such a handsome exhibition! But, oh! my dear Rex, fly! Do not let this be your end, even though your quality be so excellent that you may be 'highly commended.' It may be a melancholy satisfaction to your friends, my dear Rex, but none to you! none whatever! so fly! fly! fly! and leave your cruel mistress."

Quick!

Imagine my feelings, imagine my state of despair! as the cruelty and injustice of the whole thing forced itself upon me;

for I knew I had done no wrong, and I said as much to Tip, but his only reply was "Remember Dover."

Now you must allow that Tip was a poor comforter, and yet he seemed to feel for my situation keenly.

The more I thought about it, the more miserable I felt, and I lay down in the road, and let Miss Kate walk on, and I looked at her coldly and reproachfully, and then I told Tip that he was my one friend in the world, and I implored him to help me to escape this dreadful doom.

Tip seemed for a time lost in thought, and at last he said, "I think if you would give me two of those nice bones you hid away somewhere, I might be able to get you out of this scrape."

"Two bones!" I said. "Two bones for freedom? my dear fellow, take them all! Can you really and truly save me? Oh, my dear Tip, you are the wisest, best dog in the world! What else can I do for you besides bones?"

"One thing more," said Tip, "promise faithfully you will not be angry with me.”

"Angry, why?" I said.

"Promise," said Tip. And I did promise, and gave him my

paw.

No wonder he made me promise this; for, will you believe it? this naughty little Tip had been deceiving me all the time, and instead of really pitying me, he had been enjoying the way in which he had taken me in, though when I laid down in the road and appealed to his friendship, he began to feel that he had gone rather far, and thought he would undeceive me; but I bought my ease of mind at the expense of my nice little larder of bones.