“I wish you would not laugh like a fool,” said Rosamond, frowning. “What is there to laugh about? Mr. Johnson is not nearly so nice-looking as Mr. Rankin, and I think he’ll be disappointed in him. But you need not go on making a ridiculous noise in this way. I wish to have one of the little dogs to give to a lady I know. She will be very kind to it. She is my grandmamma. She likes her dogs better than anything else in the world.” “The dogues are fine creatures,” said Rankin; “but no to be made a first objeck. I dinna agree with that. A leddy that likes her dogs better than anything else will just probably spile them, baith their health and their moral nature. Ye will observe, mem, that I am not wanting to sell my dogues. I have aye plenty of customers for them: the first houses in the land has my dogues. It’s no as if I was keen to sell. She will no doubt feed them in a ridiculous way--sweet biscuits and made dishes, instead of good porridge and a bone at a time. Na, I think I’ll no give you one for your grandmammaw, though I dinna like to disappoint a bonnie young leddy. If it was for yoursel’ now--” “I would like to have this one for myself,” said Rosamond, as the little half-blind puppy curled on her lap and nibbled at her fingers. “It will be like little Roy at Rosmore.” “That will it!” said old Rankin in the fervour of generous acquiescence, “or may be even finer. And ye shall have it, ye shall have it! I will give ye my directions, and ye’ll make a principle of carrying them out. If ye do that, ye’ll keep the little beastie in good health, and aye clean and pleasant--and he’ll be a pleasure to ye a’ his days. There are no finer bred dogues in a’ Scotland, though I say it that maybe shouldn’t. And if ye’ll be guided by me, ye’ll just call him Roy too. It is a fine handy little name. I call them all the same, like Dandy Dinmont’s terriers in Sir Walter, as maybe ye will remember. It’s a kind of token of the race: and ye may make real pleasant acquaintances about the world, or maybe, wha kens, be directed to a braw gentleman that will make ye a fine partner for life--just by the circumstance of having twa doggies by the name of Roy, baith from Rosmore!”