2. A KIND MAN.

 1. I now felt that this landlord was not a truly good and kind man, or he would have taken pity on the outcast dog. As I passed through the gate, the poor creature huddled¹ close against the wall.

 

2. He had been taught to expect a kick or a blow from each person who passed. I stopped for a moment to look at him, and said, "Poor fellow!" in a gentle tone.

 

3. In an instant all the love and grief in his doggish heart welled over, and with a sharp cry of pain, which was like a prayer to me, he drew himself along the ground to my feet, yelping² and wagging his tail at the same time.[Pg 34]

 

4. He began to lick and fondle my feet, and made the shining polish on them quite dim with his muddy paws.

 

"Poor old fellow!" I said again. "Come, you shall have one good meal if money can buy it."

 

5. I walked out into the street, and called him to follow. He thought it was too good news to be true, and only came for a few steps, then stopped to look with a timid gaze into my face as if to question me.

 

6. "Come along, doggie," I replied, "do not be afraid. I shall not hurt you. I mean to be good to you, though you can hardly believe it. Come and get some dinner."

 

7. Made bold by my tone and manner, the dog stuck close to me, and we went along the High Street. All the shops were gay and smart, but at first I could not see one which the dog would have thought a good shop.

 

8. At last I found one where food of all kinds was sold, and I walked in, my humble³ friend at my heels giving a joyful⁴ sniff⁵ at the pleasant smells.

 

9. Whole crowds of men and women were eating at the little tables of which the shop was full. I pushed my way up to a counter, and said to the master of the shop,

 

10. "Just look at this poor dog. I want him to have a good meal of meat.[Pg 36] Give him plenty of scraps⁶, and I will pay you for them."

 

11. The man looked at me as if he doubted what I meant, and he seemed to think that I must be crazy to wish to buy a dinner for a dog.

 

12. But when he saw that I was in earnest, he quickly fetched a great heap of scraps and bones, which he put down outside the door.

 

13. Upon these my dog friend fell, as if he had been a starving wolf, but he did not forget to glance up at me before he began with such a grateful look, and to give his tail one quick wag of thanks.

 

14. I could not wait to see him eat as much as he liked. "I must be off," said I to the man.

 

15. "Here Johnny," called the master of the shop, when I was going away, "just come here, and keep your eye on this stray dog; see that he is not driven away till he has eaten all he wants, and fetch him a drop of water."

 

16. I thanked the man for his kindness and paid for the meat, and I did not forget[Pg 37] to leave a penny for the little boy who was keeping guard over the poor dog.

 

Write: The poor dog was taken to a shop and well fed. The kind man who bought him a meal took care that he was not driven away till he had eaten it.

 

Questions: 1. How did the landlord show that he was not a truly kind and good man? 2. What did the poor dog do when the traveller passed out at the gate? 3. Where did the kind man take the dog? 4. What did he give the dog in the shop? 5. Why could not he wait to see the dog eat? 6. Who watched while the dog ate his meal?

 

1 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

2 yelping   

v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In the middle of the table sat a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping. 在桌子中间有一只小狗坐在那儿，抖着它的爪子，汪汪地叫。 来自辞典例句
• He saved men from drowning and you shake at a cur's yelping. 他搭救了快要溺死的人们，你呢，听到一条野狗叫唤也瑟瑟发抖。 来自互联网

3 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

4 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

5 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

6 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。