"He's scratched and bitten, I believe," Bob returned in a voice which trembled slightly; he was looking pale and frightened, as his sister noticed. "I wonder you keep such a savage brute about the place," he remarked unwisely to Mr. Dottin. "He would have killed our dog if you hadn't interfered and driven him off."
"Of course he would have, and he wouldn't have been to blame, either," was the retort, sharply spoken. "What business had you to bring your dog here, I should like to know? Take him away immediately, or perhaps he'll be up to some fresh mischief. He got what he deserved for interfering with Bimbo. Come, clear out, you and your sister, too. I've wasted too much time on you already."
"But, Mr. Dottin—" Bob was beginning, when, much to his amazement and indignation, he was seized roughly by the collar, dragged to the door, and sent spinning into the street.
Seeing her brother thus forcibly ejected, Kitty did not linger to be similarly treated, but hurriedly followed him, whereupon Mr. Dottin shook his fist at his late visitors, and shut the door upon them.
"Come along, Kitty," said Bob, who was choking with rage. "Let us get out of this. That's a horrible old man; I'm sorry we went to see him." And he started homewards at a great rate, still carrying Snip.
"Don't go quite so fast," pleaded Kitty, when they were out of sight of the shop. "My foot's beginning to pain me. Poor Snip, dear old boy," she continued caressingly, as her brother slackened speed, and she stroked the little dog's head. "His ears are torn, Bob, and he has a bad bite in the neck. Was it a big dog he was fighting with?"
"It wasn't a dog at all," Bob answered. "It was an awful brute of a monkey, which, I suppose Snip was foolish enough to interfere with."
"A monkey!" exclaimed Kitty in astonishment.
"Yes, a monkey nearly as big as you," her brother declared, exaggerating without any intention of doing so, for to his frightened gaze Bimbo had seemed of huge dimensions.
"Oh!" Kitty cried, immeasurably horrified. "What an escape Snip has had! Don't you think he might walk, Bob, or are his legs hurt?"