"Maggie, dear, what _shall_ we do with Pepsy?"
"Oh! I have it," said Maggie; "send him down to Brighton on a visit to
dear Mrs W--y; she is such a kind creature, knows all the ways of
animals so well; and, moreover, Pepper is on the best of terms with her
already."
So the proposal was agreed to, and a few days afterwards Mrs W--y
received her little visitor very graciously indeed, and Pepper was
pleased to express his approval of the welcome accorded him, and soon
settled down, and became very happy in his Brighton home. His greatest
delight was going out with his temporary mistress for a ramble; there
was so much to be seen and inquired into, so many pretty children who
petted him, so many ladies who admired him, and so many little doggies
to see and talk to and exchange opinions on canine politics. But Pepper
used to express his delight at going for a walk in a way which his new
mistress deemed anything but dignified. People don't generally care
about having all eyes directed towards them on a public thoroughfare
like the Brighton esplanade, or King's Road. But Pepper didn't care a
bark who looked at him. He was intoxicated with joy, and didn't mind
who knew it; consequently, he used, when taken out, to go through a
series of the most wonderful acrobatic evolutions ever seen at a seaside
watering-place, or anywhere else. He jumped and barked, and chased his
tail, rolled and tumbled, leapt clean over his own head and back again,
and even made insane attempts to jump down his own throat. Inside,
Pepper was content to romp and roll on the floor with a pet guinea-pig,
and chase it or be chased by it round and round the room, or tenderly
play with some white mice; but no sooner was his nose outside the garden
gate, than Pepper felt himself in duty bound to take leave of his senses
without giving a moment's warning, and conduct himself in every
particular just like a daft doggie, and had there been a lunatic asylum
at Brighton for caninity, I haven't a doubt that Pepper would have soon
found himself an inmate of it.
One day when out walking, Pepper met a little long-haired dog about his
own size and shape, but whereas Pepper was dressed like a gentleman
Skye, in coat of hodden-grey, this little fellow was more like a merry
man at a country fair, or a clown at a circus. He had been originally
white, pure white, but his master had dyed him, and now he appeared in a
blue body, a magenta tail, and ears of brightest green.
"I say, mistress," said Pepper, looking up and addressing the lady who
had charge of him, "did you--ever--in--all--your--born--days--see such a
fright as that?"
"Hullo!" he continued, talking to the little dog himself, "who let you
out like that?"
"Well," replied the new-comer, "I dare say I do look a little odd, but
you'll get used to me by-and-by."
"Used to you?" cried Pepper--"never! You are a disgrace to canine
society."
"The fact is," said the other, looking somewhat ashamed "my master is a
dyer, and he does me up like this just by way of advertising, you know."
"Your master a dyer," cried Pepper, "then you, too, shall die. Can you
fight? I'm full of it. Come, we must have it out."
"Come back, Pepper, come back, sir!" cried his mistress. But for once
Pepper disobeyed; he flew at that funny dog, and in a few minutes the
air was filled with the blue and magenta fluff, that the Skye tore out
of his antagonist. The combat ended in a complete victory for Pepper.
He routed his assailant, and finally chased him off the esplanade.
Pepper's life at the seaside was a very happy one, or would have been
except for the dyed dog, that he made a point of giving instant chase
to, whenever he saw him.
Pepper next turned up in Wales. Sir B. N--had taken a lovely old
mansion between C--n and Ll--o, far removed from any other houses, and
quite amongst the hills, and after seeing his wife and sister settled in
the new abode, he went off to Scotland. A week after his departure, the
two ladies got up a small picnic to Dolbadran Castle, whose ruins stand
upon a steep rock overhanging the lake. Pepper of course accompanied
the tourists, and the whole party returned at night rather fatigued.
Mrs C--went to bed, and soon fell into a sound sleep, from which she
was aroused by Pepper; he was barking at the bedside. She got up, gave
him some water, and returned to bed, but Pepper continued to bark and
run about the room in a very strange way; he seized the bedclothes, and
pulled at them violently. So she put him outside the door in a long
passage, which was closed at the other end by a thick green-baize
covered door.
Poor Mrs C--was fated to have no rest. Pepper barked louder than ever,
he tore at the door, and scratched as if he wished to pull it down; so
his mistress again left her couch, and taking up a small riding-whip,
proceeded to administer what she thought to be well-merited correction.
Pepper did not appear to care for the whip at all; he only barked the
louder, and jumped up wilder; he even caught Mrs C--'s nightdress in
his mouth, and attempted to drag her on towards the end of the passage.
You must be going mad, she thought. I'll put you out of the house, for
you will alarm the whole establishment; and thus thinking, she returned,
followed by Pepper, who continued to clutch at her garments, into her
room, put on her dressing-gown, and proceeded to carry her intention
into effect.
Directly she opened the door at the end of the passage, she saw a bright
light streaming from a sort of ante-room at the top of the staircase, on
the opposite side of the corridor, and at the same moment became
sensible of a strange smell of burning wood.
She flew across, and was nearly blinded by the smoke that burst forth
immediately the ante-room door was opened. The whole house was on fire,
and it was with considerable difficulty that Mrs C--, Lady N--, and the
domestics, escaped from the burning mass.
Had Mrs C--been five minutes later before discovering the flames all
must have perished; for there was a great quantity of wood-work in the
house, and it burnt rapidly.
It matters little how the fire in this case originated, the fact remains
that this Skye-terrier, Pepper, was the first to discover it, and his
wonderful sagacity and determination, combined to save his friends from
a fearful death.
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"Ida," said Frank, refilling his pipe, "you are beginning to wink."
"It is time you were in bed, Ida," said my wife.
"Oh! but I do want to hear you read what you wrote yesterday about the
poor blind fiddler's dog," cried Ida.
"Well, then," I said, "we will bring the little dog on the boards, and
make him speak a piece himself, and this will be positively the last
story or anecdote to-night."
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