At length they reached the place where the man lived who had the dogs. The name of the man was Damrell. As soon as they arrived in the neighborhood where Mr. Damrell lived, they inquired for his house, and were directed to a small dwelling which stood in a very pleasant situation, not far from the sea shore, at a place where there was a little creek or inlet from the sea, which formed quite a pretty little harbor. There was a small wharf on the shore of this harbor, not far from the house, and a sail boat moored to it. The sail boat was Mr. Damrell's fishing boat.

The house was small, but it was very pretty, and there was quite a nice little garden on one side of it. Mr. Damrell was at work in this garden when the wagon drove up to the gate. "I heard that you had some young Newfoundland dogs to sell," said Lapstone, addressing Mr. Damrell.

Mr. Damrell straightened himself up from his work, and surveyed Lapstone with a very sharp look.

"I have got a couple of little Newfoundland cubs," said he, "but it is not every body that I am willing to sell them to.",

"Well!" said Lapstone. "I like that. That's a sign that they come of good breed. I do not think you would say that of them unless you thought much of their mother."

"I do think much of their mother," said Mr. Damrell. "Here, Dolphin !"

He called out the name Dolphin in a loud voice, and immediately a large and very beautiful Newfoundland dog came bounding round the corner of the house in answer to the summons. She came at once to her master, and after looking up into his face a moment, and finding that he had no commands for her, she turned towards the strangers in the wagon, and looked upon them with a countenance of a calm and quiet dignity that was quite impressive.

"That's the mother of the cubs I have," said Mr. Damrell, quietly; and, so saying, he went on raking the bed that he was making.

"She's of the right kind, Orkney," said Lapstone. "Let's get out of the wagon."

So Orkney and Top descended from the wagon, and, while Top held the horse, Orkney helped Lapstone to get out. As he did so, Mr. Damrell, looking up, observed that the stranger had a wooden leg.

"Is your name Lapstone?" said he.

"That's what they call me," said Lapstone.

The man laid down his rake, and walked out through his gate, and, advancing to Lapstone, gave him his hand.

"I am glad to see you, sir," said he. "I have heard of you before. I have often been to your village in my boat, and I have heard of an old sailor there of that name. And if all I have heard of you is true,—and I suppose it is so, there will be no difficulty in our trading for one of my little Bobbies. However," he continued, "it will depend more, after all, upon what Dolphin thinks of you. If she likes you, I shall be pretty sure to like you too."

XLV. THE SAME SUBJECT, CONTINUED.

DOLPHIN had followed her master through the garden gate, and, while he was speaking, she seemed to be occupied in looking earnestly at the three strangers, and in smelling of their feet and knees.

For a moment she looked a little puzzled, not knowing exactly what to make of Lapstone's wooden leg; but presently she seemed to be satisfied; and she stood quietly by Lapstone's side, and allowed him to pat her head, while her attitude and her countenance expressed confidence and good will. "She thinks well of you, shipmate," said Mr. Damrell; “and it is well she does; for, if she had not, it would have been very hard for you to get away one of her young ones; though, for that matter, she is not too fond of them now. They are well weaned, and she expects them, after this, to take care of themselves. She is too sensible a dog not to know that

nature never intended that a mother and her children should

always live together.

"However," continued Mr. Damrell, "since you ask about the breed, I will let you see a little what sort of a dog Dolphin is."

So saying, he turned to Dolphin, and said, in a quiet tone, "Take care of the horse, Dolphin."

Dolphin immediately sprang to the head of the horse, and stood there, looking up into his face with a very resolute but a very calm and quiet air, and in an attitude which showed that she was ready to seize the reins on the least indication of an attempt on his part to go away. The horse looked at Dolphin too, but he seemed not to be at all disturbed. Indeed, like every body else, he appeared to regard the dog as his friend and protector, and not as an enemy.

"Take him to the post, Dolphin," said Mr. Damrell, quickly. Dolphin immediately reached up and took hold of the horse's bridle. She was so large and tall that she could do this very easily. She then immediately began to lead the horse along towards a post which stood in the corner of the yard. The horse yielded at once, and allowed himself to be led. As soon as they reached the post, Dolphin stopped, and looked towards her master as if awaiting further orders.

"Now, my boy," said Mr. Damrell, turning to Orkney, "fasten the horse, and then we shall be at liberty."

Dolphin stood by, watching carefully until she saw that the horse was secured. She then seemed to feel released from that duty, and turned towards her master again.

"Dolphin," said Mr. Damrell, "I am going-”

Mr. Damrell spoke these words very deliberately, and then paused and hesitated, as if he had not quite decided where he was going. Dolphin looked very intently into her master's face, and wagged her tail. She was awaiting the conclusion of the sentence.

"To take a sail in the boat," said Mr. Damrell. get the keys."

"Go and

The moment that Dolphin heard the word boat she seemed wild with delight. She leaped about joyously, and by the time that Mr. Damrell had finished the sentence, she was bounding away towards a back door of the house. In a moment more she was seen coming out from the door with two keys attached to a wooden label in her mouth. With these she ran eagerly down to the water. Mr. Damrell and his party of visitors followed.

The boat was fastened to the wharf by a chain and padlock. There was also a painter, made of rope, with a loop in the outer end of it. This loop passed over the top of a short post on the corner of the wharf, so that the boat was thus held by a double fastening.

Dolphin dropped the keys near the padlock, and then, while Mr. Damrell was unlocking the lock, she took her place by the post where the loop of the painter passed over it. Mr. Damrell then invited his visitors to get into the boat, and he followed them in. He gave Lapstone an honorable seat near the stern. The boat was small, but it had a mast and a sail. Mr. Damrell began undoing the sail. Dolphin all the time remained by the line.

"Shall I go ashore, sír," said Orkney, "to cast off?" "No," replied Mr. Damrell, "Dolphin will cast off; but you may stand by to take the painter in."

Accordingly, as soon as Mr. Damrell had got the sails untied, and was ready to go, he said, "Cast off, Dolphin !"

Dolphin immediately took the loop of the painter up in her mouth, lifted it over the post, and let it fall alongside of the boat. Orkney, who, in the mean time, had stationed himself at the bows, drew it in, and coiled it up neatly.

As soon as Dolphin had cast off the line, she leaped on board the boat herself, and came and took her station near the helm, close by her master's usual seat.

Mr. Damrell, after setting his sail, came to the stern and took the helm. There was a gentle breeze blowing; the sail filled, and the boat began slowly to move away from the wharf.

All this time Mr. Damrell seemed to pay no attention to Dolphin, but went on talking with Lapstone about the town where Lapstone lived, and the voyages that he had made in former years, and the different ports which he had visited when he was a sea-faring man. While this conversation was pending, Dolphin came to Lapstone's side again, and after smelling his knees and looking up earnestly in his face a while, she laid her chin on his sound knee in quite an affectionate

manner.

"She thinks you are the right sort of man," said Mr. Damrell; "that is very plain."

Dolphin seemed also to take quite a fancy both to Orkney and Top. She came occasionally towards the part of the boat where they were, and allowed them to pat her head and caress her in other ways. Indeed, she not only allowed these freedoms, but she seemed to be quite pleased with them. The boys thought she was a dog of a remarkably excellent disposition.

XLVI.-THE SAME SUBJECT, CONCLUDED.

Ar length the boat began to draw near to the shore of a creek on one side, and Mr. Damrell said, "Come, Dolphin, I think we'll go about."

So Dolphin came to the stern again. Mr. Damrell put the helm hard down, and gave the tiller* to Dolphin to hold. 66 Keep her about so," said he.

Dolphin put her paws upon the tiller, and held it in the position in which her master had placed it, while Mr. Damrell himself went forward to attend to the sail.

As soon as the sail had filled, and the boat began to fall off on the other tack, Mr. Damrell called out, "Steady!" when

* Tiller, a piece of wood which turns the rudder by which a boat is steer. The helm is said to be put down when the tiller is moved to the side of the boat which is opposite to that from which the wind blows.