"LOW LIFE." 25

 great aptitude for fun, yet knew and appreciated what fidelity
 and good-fellowship meant.
 That parting from his first master, Jack, had been a great
 wrench to Prince's whole nature; and while the strain of the
 pull, and the ache of the void, were still in full force, the dog
 was condemned for his sins to solitary confinement, on the
 lowest diet, and with no satisfaction of his social instincts,
 except the brief interview with Mr. Jerry Noakes, his gaoler,
 who never said, "Hie old dog," or "What are you arter
 to-day, you duffer?" or "Shan't we have a rove to-night, my
 :beauty ?"
 "Sometimes Prince was so depressed in his spirits that he
 could not find it in his heart to make a spring, worry, and
 have done with a cat which, from scrambling idly down on
 .the wall, ventured imprudently to descend into his territory.
 He contented himself with growling at her, just that she might
 escape to the wall again, and stand there raising her back and
 spitting at him, which was an approach to company.
 It was a positive relief when the sun was right overhead,
 blazing down into the little black hole, threatening to produce
-spontaneous combustion among the materials for fuel which
seemed then so unnecessary, and to grill the bones of Prince,
lying panting with his tongue out in that couch of his, which
neither kept out heat nor cold, and was very far from water-
tight-that he could divert his mind from sad thoughts by
watching the blue-bottle flies which, for some reason Prince
could not divine-if he had got his choice, he would not
have selected such quarters-congregated and buzzed lazily
about the enclosure. Prince only watched the flies; he was
by far too practical and mature a dog to descend-even in his
 D