“Come along,” said Max; “your master wants to see you.”
The words had hardly left his lips, when Dirk made a bound, and rushed off toward the open dining-room, window, behaviour which evidently puzzled the great deerhound, who watched the collie for a few moments, and then dashed off, followed by Sneeshing, who, however, responded to a call, and, after looking inquiringly in the speaker’s eyes, he followed him toward the house.
Max stopped short at the end of a few yards and turned, to see Scoodrach walking slowly away.
“Scoody!” he called to him; “you are to come up and see him soon.”
“Tak’ ta togs! tak’ ta togs!” said the young gillie bitterly. “She can’t want to see me.”
The collie and deerhound had both disappeared through the dining-room window; but it was as Max suspected: when he and the terrier reached the landing, Bruce was seated on the mat at Kenneth’s chamber, and Dirk lying down blinking at him, and every now and then snuffling and thrusting his nose close to the bottom of the door.
As Max raised his hand to turn the handle, Dirk could contain himself no longer, and uttered a loud bark, the answer to which was a faintly-heard call from within the bedroom.
But, faint or no, it was enough to drive the dogs half wild; and, as Max opened the door, they gave vent to a canine trio, and dashed through quite a narrow crack, Bruce and Dirk together, for the great hound bounded over the collie, while in his excitement Sneeshing went head-over-heels into the room, but only to dash up to the bed, on to the chair at the side, and then to snuggle in close down to his master, while the others leaped on from opposite sides, and began pawing at the invalid and licking his hand.
“Down! down, dogs!” cried Max excitedly, in alarm lest they should injure the patient in his weak state. But, as he ran at the bed, Dirk and Bruce set up their bristles and uttered menacing growls, while Sneeshing thrust his rough head from under the clothes and added his remonstrance in the same canine way.
“Let ’em alone, Maxy; they’re only glad to see their old master again,” cried Kenneth, as he began to stroke the dogs’ heads. “Quiet, old boys! Friends, friends! Come and pat ’em, Maxy; they mustn’t bark at you. Friends, Dirk! Friends, Bruce lad!”