She had a cap on and a shawl thrown over her shoulders, and she had just run across the street from her father’s house.  “Oh, Mrs. Morris,” she said, “will you let Laura come over and stay with me to-night?  Mamma has just gotten a telegram from Bangor, saying that her aunt, Mrs. Cole, is very ill, and she wants to see her, and papa is going to take her there by to-night’s train, and she is afraid I will be lonely if I don’t have Laura.”

“Can you not come and spend the night here?” said Mrs. Morris.

“No, thank you; I think mamma would rather have me stay in our house.”

“Very well,” said Mrs. Morris, “I think Laura would like to go.”

“Yes, indeed,” said Miss Laura, smiling at her friend.  “I will come over in half an hour.”

“Thank you, so much,” said Miss Bessie.  And she hurried away.

After she left, Mr. Morris looked up from his paper.  “There will be some one in the house besides those two girls?”

“Oh, yes,” said Mrs. Morris; “Mrs. Drury has her old nurse, who has been with her for twenty years, and there are two maids besides, and Donald, the coachman, who sleeps over the stable.  So they are well protected.”

“Very good,” said Mr. Morris.  And he went back to his paper.

Of course dumb animals do not understand all that they hear spoken of; but I think human beings would be astonished if they knew how much we can gather from their looks and voices.  I knew that Mr. Morris did not quite like the idea of having his daughter go to the Drury’s when the master and mistress of the house were away, so I made up my mind that I would go with her.

When she came down stairs with her little satchel on her arm, I got up and stood beside her.  “Dear, old Joe,” she said, “you must not come.”

I pushed myself out the door beside her after she had kissed her mother and father and the boys.  “Go back, Joe,” she said, firmly.

I had to step back then, but I cried and whined, and she looked at me in astonishment.  “I will be back in the morning, Joe,” she said, gently; “don’t squeal in that way,” Then she shut the door and went out.

I felt dreadfully.  I walked up and down the floor and ran to the window, and howled without having to look at Ned.  Mrs. Morris peered over her glasses at me in utter surprise.  “Boys,” she said, “did you ever see Joe act in that way before?”

“No, mother,” they all said.

Mr. Morris was looking at me very intently.  He had always taken more notice of me than any other creature about the house, and I was very fond of him.  Now I ran up and put my paws on his knees.

“Mother,” he said, turning to his wife, “let the dog go.”

“Very well,” she said, in a puzzled way.  “Jack, just run over with him, and tell Mrs. Drury how he is acting, and that I will be very much obliged if she will let him stay all night with Laura.”

Jack sprang up, seized his cap, and raced down the front steps, across the street, through the gate, and up the gravelled walk, where the little stones were all hard and fast in the frost.