 of an hour until supper appeared.
    With the supper came one of the young Fathers (there seemed to be no old
Fathers) to take the head of the table. It was like the supper of an ordinary
Swiss hotel, and good red wine grown by the convent in more genial air was not
wanting. The artist traveller calmly came and took his place at table when the
rest sat down, with no apparent sense upon him of his late skirmish with the
completely dressed traveller.
    »Pray,« he inquired of the host, over his soup, »has your convent many of
its famous dogs now?«
    »Monsieur, it has three.«
    »I saw three in the gallery below. Doubtless the three in question.«
    The host, a slender, bright-eyed, dark young man of polite manners, whose
garment was a black gown with strips of white crossed over it like braces, and
who no more resembled the conventional breed of Saint Bernard monks than he
resembled the conventional breed of Saint Bernard dogs, replied, doubtless those
were the three in question.
    »And I think,« said the artist traveller, »I have seen one of them before.«
    It was possible. He was a dog sufficiently well known. Monsieur might have
easily seen him in the valley or somewhere on the lake, when he (the dog) had
gone down with one of the order to solicit aid for the convent.
    »Which is done in its regular season of the year, I think?«
    Monsieur was right.
    »And never without the dog. The dog is very important.«
    Again Monsieur was right. The dog was very important. People were justly
interested in the dog. As one of the dogs celebrated everywhere, Ma'amselle
would observe.
    Ma'amselle was a little slow to observe it, as though she were not yet well
accustomed to the French tongue. Mrs. General, however, observed it for her.
    »Ask him if he has saved many lives?« said, in his native English, the young
man who had been put out of countenance.
    The host needed no translation of the question. He promptly replied in
French, »No. Not this one.«
    »Why not?« the same gentleman asked.
    »Pardon,« returned the host, composedly, »give him the opportunity and he
will do it without doubt. For example, I am well convinced,« smiling sedately,
as he cut up the dish of veal to be handed round, on the young man who had been
put out of
