’Do you know that you are an amiable dog—but not amusing?’ she said to him, when he had to wait for her to let him get through a swinging stile. ’I’ve got a dog at home not a quarter as big as you, and he can talk twice as much. I suppose your thoughts are important, though. What do they call you? Dr. Johnson?’ He looked at her with the clear, lionlike eyes, but only for a second; seemed to think it futile trying to understand her; and then went on again with his heavy, shambling waddle. And she liked the freshness of the morning, and the novelty of being all alone by herself in the Scottish Highlands, and of going forward as a kind of pioneer and discoverer; and so she walked on in much delight, listening to the birds, looking at the sheep, and thinking nothing at all of breakfast, and the long day’s drive before her father and herself. And then a sudden conviction was flashed on her mind that something was wrong. There was a man coming rushing along the road after her—with neither coat nor cap on—and as he drew near she could hear him say— ’Ah, you rascal! you rascal! Bolted again?’ He seemed to pay no attention to her; he ran past her and made straight for the mastiff; and in a couple of minutes had a muzzle securely fastened on the beast, and was leading him back with an iron chain. ’Surely that is not a ferocious dog?’ said she, as they came up—and perhaps she was curious to know whether she had run any chance of being eaten. ’The master had to pay five pounds last year for his worrying sheep—the rascal,’ said the man; and the great dog wagged his tail as if in approval. ’Why, he seems a most gentle creature,’ she said, walking on with the man. ’Ay, and so he is, miss—most times. But he’s barely three years old, and already he’s killed two collies and a terrier, and worried three sheep.’ ’Killed other dogs? Oh, Dr. Johnson!’ she exclaimed. ’He’s sweirt[#] to begin, miss; but when he does begin he _maun_ kill—there’s no stopping him. The rascal! he likes fine to get slippin’ away wi’ one of the gentlefolks, if he’s let off the chain for a few minutes—it’s a God’s mercy he has done no harm this morning—it was the ostler let him off the chain—and he’d have lost his place if there had been ony mair worrying.’ [#] _Sweirt_, reluctant. ’No, no, no, he would not,’ she said confidently. ’I took the dog away. If any mischief had been done, I would have paid—why, of course.’