"The day after his arrival he went down to breakfast, but found nobody
there but the old squire seated at his table, and by him a favourite
large lean white bull terrier.
"'Bob,' he declared, looked at him out of the corner of his evil eye,
and therefore it was with some trepidation that he approached the table.
"'Swear, man, swear, or say something that he'll take for swearing,'
exclaimed his host. 'If Bob takes you for a parson he'll bite you.' The
explanation of this supposed hostility on Bob's part to the clergy
consisted in the known and open warfare that existed between Vaughan and
his parson.
"Some forty years before, the Squire had given his best living to his
best college friend, and ever since there had been internecine war as a
consequence.
"Poor Gordon was that curious anomaly, an artist combined with the pink
of spinsterly propriety; and he could see no humour in the incident, but
always declared that he felt nervous during his visit at the Grange lest
Bob's punishing jaws should mistake his antecedents and profession.
"But now, Lady Constance, it is your turn, as the children say."
* * * * *
"I have a very clever old dog at home," said Lady Constance, turning to
the children, "called 'Sloe.' She was, in her youth and prime, a most
valuable retriever, but now is grown too old to do much but sleep in the
sunshine.
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