The collie had ceased to growl; and, with head on one side, was
looking in eager inquiry at the Master. Lad had carried this
watchdog exploit to a point where the next move was hard to
figure out. He was glad the Master had arrived, to take charge of
the situation. It seemed to call for human, rather than canine,
solution. And Lad was profoundly interested as to the sequel. All
of which showed as clearly in the collie's whimsically expressive
face as ever it could have been set forth in print.
Both men began to talk at once; with lurid earnestness and vast
wealth of gesture. So did the women.
There was no need. The Master, already, had caught sight of the
half-spread lunch on the grass. And it was by no means his first
or his tenth experience with trespassers. He understood. Snapping
his fingers, to summon Lad to his side, he patted the dog's
silken head; and strove not to laugh.
"And just as we was sitting down, peaceful, to eat, and not
harming no one at all and minding our own business," came a
fragment of one man's oration, above the clamor of the others,
"that big dark-sable collie of yours came tearing down on us
and--"
The triple opposition of outcry and complaint blurred the rest of
his enraged whine.
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