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Rh structions and depart, especially as Mrs. O'Brady herself disappeared up the path with astonishing celerity followed by all four pair of the sun-burnt legs. Only a few bedraggled-looking chickens remained to witness our discomfiture, and even these emitted strange, eruptive noises of a warning character as if we intended them bodily harm.

As we pulled off, the occasion of all this flurry and of my very serious doubts, cast a pair of fetching brown eyes up at me in a knowing sort of way as if to ask what we were going to do next.

Then, with his eyes still on me trying the effect, he started in on a good-sized whimper, which expanded into a series of yaps steadily increasing in volume and intensity until as we passed the Portland cottage, I felt that we were laying ourselves open to a charge of cruelty to animals, if not of actual murder. Alternate cuffings and coaxings administered with ever decreasing effect, brought us finally and thankfully to the home dock. When the soft bundle of wobbly puppy-dog was lifted to the wharf, a shapely but disconsolate nose was turned heaven-ward, and ear-splitting sounds of lamentation pierced the evening air,