Annie put her in a chair near Mrs. Granton who sat ruefully surveying her.
“Rudolph,” she said, “what do you think this means?”
“From my knowledge of Boy,” he said, “I should judge that this is either a lost dog, or some poor creature he has coaxed from some kind of slavery.”
“Do you think he is as intelligent as that?” she asked surveying me kindly.
“As that, and much more so,” said my master. “I think there is a whole world of dog psychology open to those who will run and read.”
“I used to think dogs were stupid,” she said.
“In that you are not different from many persons,” said my master. “Cultivate an animal, and you find out how clever he is.”
“And human beings,” she said softly, “if you cultivate them, you find out that they are not as stupid as they appear.”
Master winced a little. He knew that in times past, he had allowed her to think that she was not clever enough to be cultivated.
“Claudia,” he said, “you are a very clever woman,” then he burst out laughing, and she laughed with him.