Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno Concluded.djvu/331

XIX] with the sweet playfulness of manner I remembered so well, "even though you ca'n't work your wicked will on the Law of Gravity, and make the teacups descend into Infinite Space, a little faster than the tea!"

This remark gave the tone to our conversation. By a tacit mutual consent, we avoided, during this our first meeting after her great sorrow, the painful topics that filled our thoughts, and talked like light-hearted children who had never known a care.

"Did you ever ask yourself the question," Lady Muriel began, à propos of nothing, "what is the chief advantage of being a Man instead of a Dog?"

"No, indeed," I said: "but I think there are advantages on the Dog's side of the question, as well."

"No doubt," she replied, with that pretty mock-gravity that became her so well: "but, on Man's side, the chief advantage seems to me to consist in having pockets! It was borne in upon meupon us, I should say; for my father and I were returning from a walkonly yesterday. We met a dog carrying home