Lion did not condescend to accept her caress, but looked lazily towards his mistress, who was busy cutting the cake.
"Lion is quite a hero," said she; "he saved a man's life once."
"Did he indeed?"
"It was at Boulogne. There was a wreck, and a good many of the sailors had been picked up; but Lion saw one floating out to sea, and plunging in, swam towards him, and dragged him by his hair safely to land."
"How glad you must have been!"
Lion lay looking at them, wagging his tail. He knew he was being talked about, and had heard the story before.
"Glad? The joy was overpowering. I felt almost as glad as I did that day when little Tom told me he had come to Jesus."
"Yes," said Nellie earnestly; "it has been such a great blessing. Dear little Tom has been so different since."
"I felt sure he would."
"He is so much more patient, and bears his sad trial in quite a different way. He does not say much, you know, but his face looks altered."