"And here is Bull," said the princess, tickling the dog's nose
with a scarlet geranium.

"Your Highness thinks a deal of Bull?" said the dog's master.

"Yes, Monsieur, he doesn't bark, and he seems to understand all
I say to him."

The dog looked up at his master as if to say: "There now, what
do you think of that?"

"To-morrow I am going away," said the diplomat, "and as I can
not very well take Bull with me, I give him to you."

The girl's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Monsieur, shall I take him
now?"

"No, but when I leave your father. You see, he was sent to me by
my son who is in India. I wish to keep him near me as long as
possible. My son, your Highness, was a bad fellow. He ran away
and joined the army against my wishes, and somehow we have never
got together again. Still, I've a sneaking regard for him, and I
believe he hasn't lost all his filial devotion. Bull is, in a
way, a connecting link."

The king turned again to the gravel pictures. These Englishmen
were beyond him in the matter of analysis. Her Royal Highness
smiled vaguely, and wondered what this son was like. Once more
she smiled, then moved away toward the palace. The dog, seeing