They found an old crate with the top missing. They covered it with what appeared to be a fancy tablecover. They tied the little dog securely to the side.
"There!" said Anna's father. "It looks like a tent on the desert. Niki will feel like an Arabian Princess!"
| "AH. TINA MIA, I HAVE FOUND YOU AGAIN." |
Anna stooped down and caressed her pet.
"Felicissima notte, Niki," said Anna. This meant "Happiest night, Niki," and it is what the Italians say for "Good-night."
When Anna and her father had left, Tony ran over to the kennel-tent. Tina nearly wagged herself to pieces with joy. Tony sank down beside her. He buried his head in her soft hair.
"Ah, Tina mia (my Tina)!" he said. "I thought they had taken you from me forever! But I have found you again."
He started to untie the dog. He would run away with her. Far away! Never back to Guido! Guido was a thief. A man who stole little dogs!
Then, suddenly, Tony remembered that he, too, was about to steal a little dog! He, too, would be a thief if he did that. Tina did not belong to him. She belonged to little Anna.