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Page 67
Bobby stopped barking in sheer astonishment. He gazed after the
stiff, retreating back, in frightened disbelief that he was not to
be let out. He attacked the stone under the barrier, but quickly
discovered its unyielding nature. Then he howled until the sentinel
came back, but when the man went by without looking at him he
uttered a whimpering cry and fled upward. The roadway was dark and
the dusk was gathering on the citadel when Bobby dashed across the
summit and down into the brightly lighted square of the Palace
Yard.
The gas-lamps were being lighted on the bridge, and Mr. Traill was
getting into his streetcoat for his call on Mr. Brown when Tammy
put his head in at the door of the restaurant. The crippled laddie
had a warm, uplifted look, for Love had touched the sordid things
of life, and a miracle had bloomed for the tenement dwellers around
Greyfriars.
"Maister Traill, Mrs. Brown says wull ye please send Bobby hame.
Her gude-mon's frettin' for 'im; an' syne, a' the folk aroond the
kirkyaird hae come to the gate to see the bittie dog's braw collar.
They wullna believe the Laird Provost gied it to 'im for a chairm
gin they dinna see it wi' their gin een."
"Why, mannie, Bobby's no' here. He must be in the kirkyard."
"Nae, he isna. I ca'ed, an' Ailie keeked in ilka place amang the
stanes."
They stared at each other, the landlord serious, the laddie's lip
trembling. Mr. Traill had not returned from his numerous errands
about the city until the middle of the afternoon. He thought, of
course, that Bobby had been in for his dinner, as usual, and had
returned to the kirkyard. It appeared, now, that no one about the
diningrooms had seen the little dog. Everybody had thought that Mr.
Traill had taken Bobby with him. He hurried down to the gate to
find Mistress Jeanie at the wicket, and a crowd of tenement women
and children in the alcove and massed down Candlemakers Row. Alarm
spread like a contagion. In eight years and more Bobby had not been
outside the kirkyard gate after the sunset bugle. Mrs. Brown turned
pale.
"Dinna say the bittie dog's lost, Maister Traill. It wad gang to
the heart o' ma gudemon."
"Havers, woman, he's no' lost." Mr. Traill spoke stoutly enough.
"Just go up to the lodge and tell Mr. Brown I'm--weel, I'll just
attend to that sma' matter my ainsel'." With that he took a gay
face and a set-up air into the lodge to meet Mr. Brown's glowering
eye.
"Whaur's the dog, man? I've been deaved aboot 'im a' the day, but I
haena seen the sonsie rascal nor the braw collar the Laird Provost
gied 'im. An' syne, wi' the folk comin' to spier for 'im an'
swarmin' ower the kirkyaird, ye'd think a warlock was aboot. Bobby
isna your dog--"
"Haud yoursel', man. Bobby's a famous dog, with the freedom of
Edinburgh given to him, and naething will do but Glenormiston must
show him to a company o' grand folk at his bit country place. He's
sending in a cart by a groom, and I'm to tak' Bobby out and fetch
him hame after a braw dinner on gowd plate. The bairns meant weel,
but they could no' give Bobby a washing fit for a veesit with the
nobeelity. I had to tak' him to a barber for a shampoo."
Mr. Brown roared with laughter. "Man, ye hae mair fule notions i'
yer heid. Ye'll hae to pay a shullin' or twa to a barber, an'
Bobby'll be sae set up there'll be nae leevin' wi' 'im. Sit ye doon
an' tell me aboot the collar, man."
"I can no' stop now to wag my tongue. Here's the gude-wife. I'll
just help her get you awa' to your bed."
It was dark when he returned to the gate, and the Castle wore its
luminous crown. The lights from the street lamps flickered on the
up-turned, anxious faces. Some of the children had begun to weep.
Women offered loud suggestions. There were surmises that Bobby had
been run over by a cart in the street, and angry conjectures that
he had been stolen. Then Ailie wailed:
"Oh, Maister Traill, the bittie dog's deid!"
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