I.

One wet wintry night, when a gentleman was hurrying along[1] one of the crowded thoroughfares of London, his attention was arrested by a lean, hungry-looking dog which rushed past him. He observed that it had a collar[2] round its neck, to which a basket was attached. If it was (App. § 36) a dog that ran on errands[3], he thought that surely its owner would feed it better, and its ribs would not look so spare. Thinking that there was some mystery connected with the animal[4], he resolved to follow it[5]. After a[6] time it turned up a narrow lane into a stable-yard, where some coachmen and hostlers were loitering about. It then got up on its hind-legs, and began walking about in circles[7]. The bystanders, surprised at this strange proceeding, formed round in a ring and looked on. It walked five times round, standing[8] erect, and looking fixedly before it like a soldier on duty[9], evidently doing its utmost[10] to make the company laugh. After taking a short rest, it began its performance[11] again, but this time on its fore-feet, pretending to stand[12] on its (S. 43, N. 9) head. Tiring of this[13], it lay down in the middle of the ring, feigning to be dead[14], and going through all the convulsions of a dying dog, breathing heavily, panting, suffering the lower jaw to fall[15], and then turning over motionless. It did this so well, that a woman in the crowd exclaimed: “Poor beast!” and drew her hand across her eyes[16]. Having lain still a minute, with its eyes closed, it got up and shook itself, to show that the performance[17] was over. It then went round begging on its hind-legs, standing[18] a little while before each of the spectators, and earnestly watching[19] to see whether they put their hands into their pockets or not. The basket round its neck had a slit in the lid, into which the coppers might be dropped.

[1] to hurry along, +durchei´len+, insep. comp. w. v. Place ‘one — night’ after ‘gentleman’; wet = rainy; thoroughfares = streets.

[2] here +Halsband+, n.; round its neck, +um+.

[3] to run on errands, +Besorgungen aus´richten+; and — spare = and it would not look so dreadfully lean.

[4] = Since the matter appeared very mysterious (+rätselhaft+) to him.

[5] = the animal.

[6] +kurz+; turned up = ran into; into = which led to.

[7] +im Kreise.+

[8] = held himself.

[9] +auf dem Posten.+

[10] = and did evidently his best.

[11] here = tricks, +Kunststücke+.

[12] = and did (+sich anstellen+) as if he stood (App. § 33).

[13] = Hereupon.

[14] to feign to be dead, +sich tot stellen+. The Present Participles in this passage must be rendered by the Imperfect in German.

[15] = dropped (+fallen lassen+) the lower jaw.

[16] +mit der Hand über die Augen fahren+.

[17] +Vorstellung+, f.

[18] +stille stehen+.

[19] = and watched (+beobachten+) them quite earnestly (+ernsthaft+).

_Section 210._

A FRIEND IN NEED.