three. What were their names? "The Graces." Then he was asked who was
the first magistrate in the town. The dog made a bow to the Mayor.
"What had made that gentleman first magistrate?" The dog looked to the
alphabet and spelt "Worth." "Were there any persons present more
powerful than the Mayor?" The dog bowed to the three young ladies.
"What made them more powerful?" The dog spelt "Beauty." When ended the
applause these answers received, the dog went through the musket exercise
with the soldier's staff; and as soon as he had performed that, he came
to the business part of the exhibition, seized the hat which his master
had dropped on the ground, and carried it round to each person on the
stage. They looked at one another. "He is a poor soldier's dog," said
the child, hiding her face. "No, no; a soldier cannot beg," cried the
Comedian. The Mayor dropped a coin in the hat; others did the same or
affected to do it. The dog took the hat to his master, who waved him
aside. There was a pause. The dog laid the hat softly at the soldier's
feet, and looked up at the child beseechingly. "What," asked she,
raising her head proudly--"what secures WORTH and defends BEAUTY?" The
dog took up the staff and shouldered it. "And to what can the soldier
look for aid when he starves and will not beg?" The dog seemed puzzled,
--the suspense was awful. "Good heavens," thought the Comedian, "if the
brute should break down after all!--and when I took such care that the
words should lie undisturbed-right before his nose!" With a deep sigh
the veteran started from his despondent attitude, and crept along the
floor as if for escape--so broken-down, so crestfallen. Every eye was on
that heartbroken face and receding figure; and the eye of that
heartbroken face was on the dog, and the foot of that receding figure
seemed to tremble, recoil, start, as it passed by the alphabetical
letters which still lay on the ground as last arranged. "Ah! to what
should he look for aid?" repeated the grandchild, clasping her little
hands. The dog had now caught the cue, and put his paw first upon