"Is this nice dog your dog?"
"Who else could he belong to? Do you like him?"
I fondled one of the ears of the intelligent animal to show him affection, but he, oblivious to my blandishments, jumped and put his paws on the knees of the English woman, who showed me her two teeth again as if wanting to bite me, and exclaimed:
"Oh! You are unsupportable!"
"And where did you acquire this dog?" I asked without taking notice of the latest explosion of righteous indignation on the part of the British lady. "Can you tell me?"
"My mistress gave it me."
"And what became of your mistress?" I asked most anxiously.
"Ah! Did you know her?" the woman replied.
"She was a good woman, wasn't she?"
"An excellent woman. But may I know how that bad business ended?"