"'Who is your master?' I said. 'Anybody would think you were going to paint the portrait yourself.'
"'My master is a very famous artist,' said he.
"'What's his name?' I asked.
"'George Morland,' said the spaniel.
"'George Morland!' I cried. 'Is he in these parts now?'
"'Yes,' said the spaniel. 'We are staying at The Royal George. My master is painting some pictures of the country and next week he is going back to London to commence on the portrait of the prince.'
"Now, it happened that I had met this George Morland, who was, and is still, perhaps the most famous painter of farm-life pictures the world has ever known. I am proud to be able to say that I knew him. He was especially good at painting horses in stables, pigs in stys, roosters and dogs hanging around kitchen doors, and things like that.
"So, without letting the spaniel see that I was following him, I went after him, to see where he was going.
"He led me to a lonely old farm out on the hills. And there, concealing myself in some bushes, I watched the great Morland painting one of his famous farm scenes.
"Presently he laid down his paint brush and muttered to himself: 'I need a dog—by the watering trough there—to fill out the picture. I wonder if I could get that fool spaniel to lie still for five minutes.... Here, Spot, Spot! Come here!'